UEFA to help Henrikh Mkhitaryan obtain to play in Azerbaijan

UEFA will help midfielder of London’s Arsenal and the Armenian national football team Henrikh Mkhitaryan obtain a visa to play in the Europa League final in Azerbaijan if the Gunners reach the final stage of the tournament. Mkhitaryan would have been unavailable for the showpiece event - held in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku - due to ongoing conflicts between the country and his native Armenia. When Arsenal ventured to Azerbaijan for their group stage clash with Qarabag earlier in the campaign Arsenal was left out of the travelling squad. However, ESPN report that UEFA expect the former Manchester United player to be granted permit due to the exemption for those participating in sporting events. Such an outcome would hand the north Londoners a sizeable boost should they reach the final on 28 May. A UEFA spokesperson told ESPN FC: "It is a standard procedure for UEFA to send letters of support to associations, clubs or embassies in order to obtain visas for players and allow them to play in UEFA competition matches."

Henrikh Mkhitaryan thanked all countries that recognized Armenian Genocide