Mkhitaryan Could Miss Europa League Final Due To Political Tension

By Max Wise

Arsenal midfielder, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, could be forced to sit out the Europa League final against Chelsea on May 29 due to political tension between his country Armenia and Azerbaijan, where the game will be held.

Mkhitaryan was a second half substitute as Arsenal beat Valencia 4-2 at the Mestalla Stadium on Thursday to qualify on a 7-3 aggregate.

Diplomatic relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan does not exist due to a long-standing conflict between the two countries over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, and as a result Azerbaijan does not allow Armenian nationals to enter the country.

Mkhitaryan, who is the captain of the Armenia national team, was prevented by Arsenal from playing in the Gunners’ Europa League game against Azerbaijan league leaders, Qarabag, in October last year due to safety concerns.

“The safety and security of all our players is of paramount importance,” an Arsenal spokesperson said.

“We are seeking guarantees from Uefa that it will be safe for Henrikh Mkhitaryan to travel to Baku for the Europa League final, which both Arsenal and Micki require for him to be included within our squad.

“Acceptable guarantees have not been received yet, and we hope that Uefa will be able to supply these promptly”.

“We are of course hugely concerned that the location of the final could lead to Micki not being able to play in a European final.”

The 30-year-old also failed to honour European commitments against Gabala in Azerbaijan whiles playing for German side Borussia Dortmund in 2015.

Mkhitaryan has played 24 times in the Premier League this season, scoring six goals, while he has also featured 11 times in the Gunners march towards the Europa League final in Baku.

Arsenal have failed to make the Premier League top four this season, meaning only a victory over Chelsea in the Europa League final will guarantee them Champions League football next season.