Oct 1 2018
- Arsenal are leaving Henrikh Mkhitaryan at home for their trip to Azerbaijan
- The Gunners will face Qarabag in the Europa League on Thursday evening
- Mkhitaryan is not travelling due to tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan
- The club have opted against trying to obtain necessary international clearance
Henrikh Mkhitaryan will miss Arsenal’s Europa League clash against FC Qarabag this week due to political tensions between Azerbaijan and his home country Armenia.
The Gunners have decided against trying to obtain the necessary international clearance in an effort to have the Armenia international is available selection.
Mkhitaryan would be required to apply to the Azerbaijani government for a permit to make the trip to Baku but Arsenal have decided against going through the process.
Additionally, there would be considerable safety risks if Mkhitaryan were to go to Baku given his standing as one of the Armenia’s most high-profile figures given the historical bad blood between the two nations.
Arsenal will face the exact problem again should the reach the Europa League final, which is due to take place in Baku.
Meanwhile, Unai Emery will take another significant step away from the Arsene Wenger regime this week by holding his final training session before Thursday night’s clash against FC Qarabag in Azerbaijan.
Wenger, towards the end of his reign at Arsenal, would insist his players train at their London Colney HQ the morning before European fixtures.
But for his first European away fixture in charge of the Gunners, Emery’s squad will train in the Olympic Stadium in Baku the evening before the game.
It is common place for away clubs to train at the stadium the game will be played the night before European fixtures in a bid to help players get used to the pitch and surroundings.
Wenger, though, always felt it unnecessary – believing training in London the morning before the game was more beneficial.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-6227933/Mkhitaryan-miss-Arsenals-Europa-League-trip-Qarabag-Azerbaijan-Armenia-tensions.html