POLITICS KEEP HENRIKH AT HOME

UNAI EMERY is adamant Henrikh Mkhitaryan was left out of tonight’s game due to a travel ban despite accusations from Qarabag that he had bottled it.

Decades of tension with Azerbaijan over disputed territory mean Armenian sports stars like Mkhitaryan need a special visa to go there.

But because Mkhitaryan (left) has been a regular visitor to the region to support a charity for wounded Armenian soldiers, sources in Azerbaijan suggested it would “seriously affect” his chances of being admitted.

Emery is annoyed by the political interference and claims his midfielder was banned.

“He cannot travel here,” said the Arsenal boss. “I didn’t want politics to interrupt sport, but we could not do anything about it.”