Arsenal midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan will not be travelling with the squad to Baku and will miss the Europa League final against Chelsea on May 29.
The club say they have no choice but to leave the midfielder at home next week following security concerns.
Concerns had been raised over the Armenian’s status in the country for the final in Azerbaijan because of non-existent diplomatic relations between the two Caucasus states, which is due to disputes over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Arsenal said in a statement: “We are very disappointed to announce that Henrikh Mkhitaryan will not be travelling with the squad for our UEFA Europa League final against Chelsea.
“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.
Azerbaijan’s UK ambassador Tahir Taghizadeh said on Monday that Mkhitaryan could contact him directly to guarantee his safety for the Europa League final
“Micki will continue to be part of our preparations until we depart for Baku at the weekend.”
UEFA responded to the news by releasing a statement.
European football’s governing body said: “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 with this matter, we respect the personal decision not to travel with the player.”
