The Economist: The footballer caught up in Armenia’s conflict with Azerbaijan
09:27 • 22.05.19
Henrikh Mkhitaryan is no ordinary Armenian. At 30 years of age, he has won the “Armenian Footballer of the Year” award a record eight times. He captains his country’s national team, and has played for some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
Yet, despite such credentials, “Micki” finds himself caught up in Armenia’s ongoing conflict with Azerbaijan, its neighbour. He will not play in the Europa League final on May 29th, when his current team, Arsenal, play another London side, Chelsea, in Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital. Both club and player made the decision, seemingly due to fears over his safety. Arsenal said the club had not received “acceptable guarantees” from UEFA, the governing body of European football, that it would be safe for Mr Mkhitaryan to travel, and they have now taken matters into their own hands.
That Arsenal seems to have felt it has no option but to pull its player out of the final has angered the club and its fans, who were already incensed with UEFA’s decision, after a bidding process by member states, to host the event in Azerbaijan. Baku is further east than Baghdad, and the club, like Chelsea, is being allocated just 6,000 tickets for a stadium that holds more than 68,000 people. But Mr Mkhitaryan’s situation is also a reminder that a little-known political rivalry is still tense.
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