LONDON (AFP) - Arsenal's Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan will miss the Europa League final against Chelsea in Baku amid fears over his safety.
The 30-year-old's well-being was a concern for Arsenal due to the tense political dispute between Armenia and final hosts Azerbaijan.
The Gunners have decided against Mkhitaryan travelling with the rest of Unai Emery's squad for next Wednesday's game against their London rivals.
"We are very disappointed to announce that Henrikh Mkhitaryan will not be travelling with the squad for our Uefa Europa League final against Chelsea," an Arsenal statement announced on Tuesday.
"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."
Azerbaijan's Ambassador to the UK, Mr Tahir Taghizadeh, had insisted Mkhitaryan would be free from any threat of violence, but it was reported the star did not believe he would be safe on the pitch.
"Having considered all the current options, we had to take the tough decision for me not to travel with the squad to the UEL Final against Chelsea," Mkhitaryan tweeted.
Â
"It's the kind of game that doesn't come along very often for us players and I must admit, it hurts me a lot to miss it. I will be cheering my teammates on! Let's bring it home."
Mkhitaryan had featured in 11 games during the Europa League campaign and his absence will be a big blow as Arsenal look for the victory they need to qualify for next season's Champions League.
"We have written to Uefa expressing our deep concerns about this situation," the statement added.
"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 has been a key player in our run to the final so this is a big loss for us from a team perspective."
Armenia captain Mkhitaryan skipped the Gunners' Europa League fixture against Qarabag in October because of tensions caused by a dispute over the Nagorny Karabakh region.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have feuded over Nagorny Karabakh since Armenian separatists seized the territory in a war that claimed about 30,000 lives in the early 1990s.
A ceasefire was agreed in 1994 but the two countries remain locked in a bitter dispute with frequent exchanges of fire, and tensions are such that Mkhitaryan also did not travel to Azerbaijan with former club Borussia Dortmund for a Europa League match against Galaba in 2015.
London (AFP) - Former Manchester United and England midfielder Paul Scholes has been appointed manager of Oldham Athletic, the club announced on Monday. Scholes, 44, is taking on his first managerial role, signing a contract with the club he supported as a boy after spending his entire playing career at Old Trafford.
Manchester United legend Paul Scholes appointed Oldham manager
global.espn.com/football/oldham-athletic/story/3770928/manchester-united-legend-paul-scholes-appointed-oldham-manager
Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes has been appointed manager of League Two side Oldham Athletic on a one-and-a-half year contract. Scholes said: "I just feel ready, really. I've had chances before, I've got my A licence and now the time is right. "It's been 20-30 years since there has been excitement at the club.
Manchester United legend Paul Scholes appointed Oldham manager
LONDON (AP) — Manchester United moved into the Premier League's top four by beating Fulham 3-0 at Craven Cottage on Saturday, with Paul Pogba scoring two more goals to continue his resurgence
Arsenal Move into Top 4 with Win over Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Hazard late show rescues Chelsea in Wolves draw Posted on March 10, 2019 by yasir kaneria in Football , Sports Sarri's side were seconds away from another damaging defeat after Raul Jimenez put Wolves ahead at Stamford Bridge.
Eden Hazard late show rescues Chelsea in Wolves draw
Soccer: Bayern have not yet tabled bid for Man City's Sane
Tottenham are making quick progress towards the completion of their new stadium at White Hart Lane as they look to complete the lift of the roof in the coming weeks. Spurs want to return from
Liverpool hero makes bizarre Tottenham Hotspur Stadium claim
Singapore Premier League clubs could sign three imports from next season after the increase in foreign player quota was raised at the Football Association of Singapore's 36th Annual Congress . Albirex Niigata can sign up unlimited number of Singaporean players for the new season. Only 1 local player above 23 years old is allowed.
SEA Games flop is just one sign that Singapore football is
BARCELONA, 11 March 2019: Lionel Messi created a goal and scored another as Barcelona came from behind to beat struggling Rayo Vallecano 3-1 at home on Saturday and stay seven points clear at the top of La Liga. Rayo, who have now lost their last 12 games against Barca, took a shock lead midway
Messi shines as Barca survive scare to see off Rayo - Reuters
Injuries open way for Sanchez and Lukaku to shine for United . 26th February 2019 Football, Sport. By AFP "They've been part of our training for a long time now," said Solskjaer.
Injuries open way for Sanchez and Lukaku to shine for United
en.rfi.fr/wire/20190226-injuries-open-way-sanchez-and-lukaku-shine-united
Injuries open way for Sanchez and Lukaku to shine for United. is confident Sanchez and Lukaku have the quality to impress if given a sustained run in the team. Sorry but the period of time
Injuries open way for Sanchez and Lukaku to shine for United
Football: Diehard Malaysian fans sell prized memorabilia to
Football: Fandi Ahmad rues missed chances in U-22s' 1-1 draw with Hong Kong in opening AFC Under-23 qualifier Singapore's Young Lions training at the Geylang field on Feb 25, 2019. ST PHOTO
Fandi rues missed chances in 1-1 draw - theworldnews.net
May 19, 2019 · Messi also led La Liga this season with 13 assists, 136 shots, 85 shots on target and 70 through balls. In terms of successful dribbles, Messi's 132 fell seven short of Celta Vigo's Sofiane
VIGO: Barcelona fell to their first La Liga defeat since November as the champions were beaten 2-0 at struggling Celta Vigo after making 11 changes but forward Ousmane Dembele suffered an injury
Makeshift Barca side beaten at Celta and lose Dembele to injury
Mourinho Concedes Man Utd Incapable Of Living With Liverpool league group stage football match against Valencia on December 11, 2018. continued as United strained to keep a rampant
Mourinho concedes Man Utd incapable of living with Liverpool
Davinson Sanchez is confident Tottenham's squad is strong enough to mount a Premier League title challenge despite injuries to Harry Kane and Dele Alli. Three successive wins have lifted Spurs to within five points of leader Liverpool after 25 matches, putting it firmly in the title picture alongside Manchester City.
Sanchez: Spurs squad can cope in absence of Kane and Alli
0 comments:
Post a Comment