Shameful! Should never happen in football. Arsenal’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who is an Armenian, is set to miss Europa League final against Chelsea amid safety concern and this is really tragic.
The venue for the final is at the Olympic Stadium in Baku, Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan and Armenia share an immortally distressed relationship which can be traced back to the fall of the Russian Empire in 1917.
Currently, there exists a very deprived diplomatic relationship as a result of the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh dispute.
Earlier this week the Gunners opted to exclude the player from their traveling plans despite the security ‘assurances’ by UEFA who claimed to have reached out to the authorities in the country.
Through their official website and social media, Arsenal stated that:
“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 traveling 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.”
To set up the Europa League final in such a controversial stage appears absurd and goes against everything UEFA stands for- equal opportunity.
How is it nondiscriminatory if an integral player cannot attend due to political reasons? Whereas UEFA’s inclusion and diversity policy are clear on the right of everyone to enjoy football regardless of their background, Mkhitaryan will not be traveling with his team to do what he loves.
This is a disgrace and surely threatens to eclipse the European finals next week. On Thursday, during a session at the House of Commons British MP Tom Watson did not mince his words when he said that:
“It is a scandal that Arsenal’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan will miss the match of a lifetime next week because he is from Armenia and he fears for his safety at the Europa League final in Baku,”
In such a match with high stakes, every player is expected to be at their best to deliver for their respective teams. But how is Micki to give his best when he is subjected to terror and injustices blurring the line between sport he adores and politics. Was there any compromise? Only time will tell.
