Henrikh Mkhitaryan to miss clash in Baku

Arsenal midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan will not take part in the Europa League final against Chelsea, which will be held on May 29 in Baku, Arsenal press service reported. 

“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,” the statement said.

Earlier, Azerbaijani side assured that Henrikh Mkhitaryan would not have problems with entry and security in Baku.

On May 10, UEFA also expressed support for the Armenian football player.

Mkhitaryan is in the black list of the Azerbaijani border service amid his visit to Artsakh.