Mkhitaryan won't travel to Baku for Arsenal's Europa League finalMay 21, 2019 - 15:10 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan will not be travelling with Arsenal for their Uefa Europa League final against Chelsea in Baku, the club said Tuesday, May 21. "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," the Gunners said. "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." Mkhitaryan is the captain of Armenia’s national team, and Armenia, Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) are involved in long dispute. Travel to Baku is also proving an issue for those fans who have qualified for a match ticket, with fans heading out from London facing a round trip of some 2,500 miles to attend the game. Armenian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anna Naghdalyan earlier described Azerbaijan’s refusal to grant visas to Arsenal’s fans who may have Armenian roots as racism. Top stories Armenian gymnast, Olympic bronze medalist Artur Davtyan has reached the finals of the World Cup. Gor Manvelyan has denied reports alleging that he has expressed a desire to one day play for the French national team. Roma midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan is not considering FC Spartak Moscow as his next haven, according to fresh reports. 10 Armenian lifters will compete in the 2021 World Championships scheduled to be held from 7 to 17 December in Tashkent. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |