Arsenal's Henrikh Mkhitaryan won't play in UEFA Europa League final in Azerbaijan over safety concerns

Henrikh Mkhitaryan won't travel with the Arsenal squad to Baku, Azerbaijan for the Europa League final vs. Chelsea. He has safety concerns over the political tensions between his native Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Mkhitaryan is disappointed he can't join his teammates for the final of a major European competition.

Micki will not be part of the travelling party for the European Championship final. The team has expressed their concerns to UEFA. Micki has been a key player in their run to the final and will continue to be involved in the preparations until the weekend.

Arsenal's player won't make the trip to the Europa League final on May 29 because of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Arsenal has to win the final to qualify for the Champions League next season. A loss to Chelsea in the Baku final would keep Arsenal out of Champions and Europa.

There are no diplomatic relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan because of a longstanding conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Azerbaijan usually does not allow foreign nationals of Armenian descent to enter the country.