Unai fury at Henrikh’s political ‘ban’
charity work for wounded Armenian soldiers, sources in Baku have suggested it would “seriously affect” his chances of being admitted to the country.
Arsenal insisted they had made the decision not to bother to challenge this stance long before the finer points had even been considered – in line with a similar decision by Mkhitaryan to stay at home when former club Borussia Dortmund were drawn against Qabala. But boss Emery clearly seemed annoyed by the political interference in his team selection and constantly repeated that, to his mind, Mkhitaryan was banned from travelling.
“He cannot travel here,” said Emery. “I don’t know each situation in every country. I respect each person, I respect each culture, I respect each country. But for me, he cannot play tomorrow. And the final? It’s a long time until the final.”
Qarabag coach Gurban Gurbanov had a different view, claiming Arsenal were worried Mkhitaryan would wilt in the hostile environment.
“I didn’t want politics to interrupt the sport but we could not do anything,” he said. “It is not a matter for us if he is coming or not. It is the choice of Arsenal that they didn’t send him. Maybe they are afraid that in front of 60,000 Azerbaijani fans, he will face some pressure.” Although Emery has travelled with a strong squad, Aaron Ramsey was another player left behind after asking to stay at home with pregnant wife Colleen.
His absence had been linked to his contract situation, which has grown even more tangled after his representatives posted a series of tweets – later deleted – that seemed to confirm Ramsey is set to leave the club, with Liverpool hoping to sign him in January. Avid Sports & Entertainment Group announced Ramsey had agreed to be an ambassador for a private jet company – only to be attacked by a fan who implied the only news regarding the Wales star is what his future holds, with his deal ending in the summer.
“There is nothing we can do... the club made a decision,” one tweet said. Another added: “He didn’t want to leave, but now there is no other option. Life goes on.”
ARSENAL (probable):