Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Ex Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has hit out at UEFA for the decision to host the Europa League final in Azerbaijan.
The Gunners take on Chelsea next Wednesday in Baku, with the hopes of winning the trophy and simultaneously booking their place in the Champions League group stages next season.
However, following the shocking the revelation that Arsenal will have to leave Armenian playmaker Henrikh Mkhitaryan behind due to political tensions between his nation and the host country, it is now claimed fans are now turning their back on the event.
The European governing body was heavily criticised for the meagre allocation totalling just 12,000 tickets given to the English teams.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan will be left at home for the Europa League final
And Wenger is saddened by the situation.
‘It’s a little bit of a nightmare [for the fans],’ the 69-year-old – who will not be travelling to Baku to see the game either – told reporters on Thursday (via Metro).
‘The teams have no problem. They live in ideal conditions – they have their private jet, nice business seats. But it’s the fans.
‘That [Mkhitaryan’s situation] is something that should not happen in football. ‘I feel it’s not normal that in 2019 – inside Europe, with very sophisticated democracies – that you cannot play for political reasons.’
