Arsenal’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan to miss Europa League final following security concerns

Arsenal have confirmed that midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan will not be included in the travelling party to Baku for this year’s Europa League final on the 29th of May. 

The news comes after recent concerns raised over the Armenian player’s status in the country of Azerbaijan where the final is set to take place.

This is due to the non-existent diplomatic relationship between Armenia and Azerbaijan, where the two Caucasus states have increased political tension over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Arsenal say the dispute between the two countries has left the club with no choice but to leave 30 year-old out of their squad for the game in Baku.

Arsenal said in a statement: 

“We are very disappointed to announce that Henrikh Mkhitaryan will not be travelling with the squad for our UEFA Europa League final against Chelsea.

We have thoroughly explored all the options for ‘Micki’ to be part of the squad but after discussing this with ‘Micki’ and his family we have collectively agreed he will not be in our travelling party.

We have written to UEFA expressing our deep concerns about this situation. ‘Micki’ has been a key player in our run to the final so this is a big loss for us from a team perspective.

We’re also very sad that a player will miss out on a major European final in circumstances such as this, as it is something that comes along very rarely in a footballer’s career.

‘Micki’ will continue to be part of our preparations until we depart for Baku at the weekend.”

After becoming an integral figure in the Gunners Europa League run, featuring in 11 matches, Mkhitaryan was given assurances by Azerbaijan’s UK ambassador on Monday which guaranteed his safety for the final next week.

However, with deep personal concerns regarding his welfare and the unease that exists between the two countries, the player and club came to the conclusion that he would miss out.

The Armenian released a statement on social media:

“Having considered all the current options, we had to take the tough decision for me not to travel with squad for the final against Chelsea.

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 on my teammates on! Let’s bring it home Arsenal!”

Despite calls of boycotting the final from both sets of Arsenal and Chelsea supporters, the final is set to take place on Wednesday, the 29th of May.