Row erupts over Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s decision to miss Europa League final

A bitter row has broken out after Arsenal’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan refused to travel to Azerbaijan for the Europa League final.

Arsenal's Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan won’t travel to Baku for the Europa League final. Picture: AFP

A bitter row has broken out over Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s decision not to travel to Baku for the Europa League final, with the head of the Azerbaijan FA claiming that the Arsenal player’s move is “unjustified and unwarranted”.

Political tensions between Mkhitaryan’s home country Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno- Karabakh region have proved decisive for the 30-year-old attacking midfielder, despite the Azeri government insisting that it would guarantee his safety for the final against Chelsea a week today. Arsenal said that they have written to UEFA expressing “deep concerns about this situation”.

Mkhitaryan said on Twitter it had been a “tough decision” to pull out of the final, adding: “I must admit, it hurts me a lot to miss it.”

[...] It‘s the kind of game that doesn’t come along very often for us players and I must admit, it hurts me a lot to miss it.I will be cheering my teammates on! Let’s bring it home @Arsenal 🏆💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼 #uel #final #arsenal #chelsea #AFC #COYG pic.twitter.com/gnDA6oyolw

— Henrikh Mkhitaryan (@HenrikhMkh) May 21, 2019

But Elkhan Mammadov, the general secretary of the Azerbaijan FA, told The Times: “We are very disappointed with the statement by Arsenal and we feel this decision is unjustified and unwarranted. We have organised many, many sporting events in our country and Armenian athletes have had no issues at all regarding safety and security. They have competed here with no problems and have been treated in a very fair way.

“Azerbaijan has provided all the necessary guarantees required by UEFA to ensure the personal safety of Mr Mkhitaryan.”

UEFA has come in for criticism for its choice of Baku as the host city for this year’s final. Fans of two clubs based only a few miles apart will have to take a six-hour flight from London to get to the capital city. Baku will also stage three group matches and a quarter-final at Euro 2020 but Mammadov said that he did not envisage any repercussions for that tournament because of Mkhitaryan’s decision.

“I don’t think there will be any effect as this was a personal decision by the individual and his family not to come here,” he said.

Laurent Koscielny, the Arsenal captain, said he was not happy with UEFA over the choice of Baku. He told BBC Radio 5 Live: “I don’t want to leave a player here because he cannot play the final. UEFA need to know about the different problems you can have with politics in the country. When one country has a problem with another you should not give the final to this country.

The Baku Olympic stadium in Azerbaijan, which will host the Europa League final. Picture: AP

“For both teams it is difficult to travel to Baku, a long flight and very expensive [for fans]. We will play but this is not the final we dreamt of.

“Micki is an important player for us. It is a personal decision so if he thinks he cannot be 100 per cent with the team it is better that he stays here. We respect his decision.”

Mkhitaryan has previously missed two club matches — one for Borussia Dortmund and one for Arsenal — in Azerbaijan, which does not usually allow people of Armenian descent to enter the country.

Arsenal said that they reached the decision collectively after discussions with the midfielder and his family and after “thoroughly” exploring all the options available. The head coach, Unai Emery, said: “I understand this decision is very, very personal. I cannot push him to come with us.”

UEFA, for whom Mkhitaryan’s sister works, said in a statement: “Working alongside Arsenal FC, UEFA sought and received assurances regarding the player’s safety in Azerbaijan from the highest authorities in the country. As a result of these guarantees, a comprehensive security plan was developed and given to the club. While the club acknowledges the efforts that UEFA and the Azeri government have gone to in this matter, we respect the personal decision not to travel with the player.”

Nagorno-Karabakh is a region of Azerbaijan which has been under the control of Armenian forces since a war there ended in 1994. International efforts to settle the conflict have stalled.

Arsenal have been critical of the choice of Baku after receiving only 6,000 tickets and because of the “extreme” problems fans face to get there. Baku won the hosting rights in 2017, ahead of Seville and Istanbul. Arsenal’s chief executive at the time, Ivan Gazidis, was one of the UEFA committee members who made the decision.

The Times