LONDON: Baku will host the Europa League final between Arsenal and Chelsea on 29 May. But it has clearly not gone down well with the UK media, which has indulged in dog-whistle politics around the matter ever since it was confirmed that two British clubs would be contesting the finals.
It started with much bemoaning around the distance the fans would have to travel, and the latest bone that is being picked is around the decision of Arsenal’s Armenian player Henrikh Mkhitaryan not to travel with the team for the final, citing security concerns.
And just what are those concerns? Armenia and Azerbaijan have a century-long conflict stemming from the fall of the Russian Empire in 1917 and fears were expressed that Mkhitaryan would “not be safe in Baku”.
The Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA) was quick to reiterate that they saw no reason as to why this decision had been made.
An AFFA spokesperson said: “We are disappointed to see the statement from Arsenal that Henrikh Mkhitaryan will not be travelling with his team to Baku to participate at the UEFA Europa League final against Chelsea next Wednesday. We very much regret this unwarranted decision taken, as we understand, collectively by Arsenal, the player and his family.
“Whilst we recognise the right to make a personal decision not to travel, we would like to reiterate that as the host country Azerbaijan has provided all the necessary guarantees required by UEFA to ensure the personal safety of Mr Mkhitaryan. There is no reason whatsoever to put in question the seriousness of these guarantees provided by Azerbaijan.
“Over the past decade a large number of Armenian athletes have taken part in various international sports events in Azerbaijan without any issues. Finally, we believe that this regretful decision will not affect in any manner the quality and the attraction of this great match. We look forward to welcoming both teams in Baku shortly.”
Mkhitaryan, who won the Europa League with Manchester United in 2017, tweeted that to miss the final against Chelsea “hurt a lot”.
In response, UEFA 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.”
The London club, meanwhile, said it was “disappointed” to announce the midfielder would not travel with the squad.
“Micki [Mkhitaryan] has been a key player in our run to the final so this is a big loss for us from a team perspective,” read a club statement.
“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.”
