CONFIRMED: Henrikh Mkhitaryan to miss Europa League final

Arsenal have officially confirmed that Armenian international Henrikh Mkhitaryan will miss the Europa League final that will take place in Baku on May 29 against Chelsea. Azerbaijan have banned Armenians from entering the country over tensions between the bordering rivals, with the Center for political Freddom stating: “Citizens of the Republic of Armenia, as well as citizens of any other country who are of Armenian descent, are forbidden entry to the Republic of Azerbaijan.” After long lasting negotiations between UEFA and Azerbaijan, they have come into a solution that will satisfy both parties but not fans. Here's the full statement released by Arsenal FC: "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. "Micki will continue to be part of our preparations until we depart for Baku at the weekend."

Azerbaijan FA chief makes statement on Henrikh Mkhitaryan issue ahead of UEL final