Arsenal to prioritise safety over Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s Azerbaijan visa for Europa League game

Arsenal will prioritise safety over Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s Azerbaijan visa for Europa League game,  London Evening Standard reports.

Unai Emery hopes Henrikh Mkhitaryan is able to travel to Azerbaijan.

Arsenal are due to travel to Baku on October 4 for a Uefa Europa League group stage tie against Azerbaijani champions Qarabag.

Whether Mkhitaryan is able to play in that match remains in some doubt due to the Karabakh conflict.

Armenians are currently banned from entering Azerbaijan so Mkhitaryan would require an exception to get a visa. In 2015, the then-Borussia Dortmund player opted not to travel for a Europa League game against Gabala, citing security concerns.

A spokesperson for Arsenal told Standard Sport: “Safety and security of our players and staff is always a top priority. We will be looking into this situation, talk to the player and make a decision after that.”

Uefa earlier confirmed that it would support any visa application for Mkhitaryan.

“It is a standard procedure for Uefa to send letters of support to associations, clubs or embassies in order to obtain visa for players in order to be able to travel to another country and play in Uefa competition matches,” a spokesperson said.

The Europa League final will also be played in Baku.