Footage has emerged showing Azerbaijani police apparently stopping two Arsenal fans on the streets of Baku for wearing Henrikh Mkhitaryan shirts.
Gunners fans are in the city ahead of Arsenal’s Europa League final clash against Chelsea on Wednesday evening – a match you can follow LIVE on talkSPORT.
@SNTVSTORY ON TWITTER
2
Arsenal fans wearing Mkhitaryan shirts have been stopped in the streets of Baku
@SNTVSTORY ON TWITTER
2
Arsenal fans are in Baku ahead of the Europa League final against Chelsea
Arsenal have confirmed they will be without Mkhitaryan for the all-English European final, with the 30-year-old refusing to travel to Baku over the conflict between his country and host nation Azerbaijan.
The same political tensions saw him skip the Gunners’ clash against Qarabag in Baku earlier this season, while they also prevented him from playing for Borussia Dortmund in a Europa League game against Gabala – in northern Azerbaijan – in October 2015.
UEFA have been heavily criticised for their decision to stage the final in Baku, with Arsenal and Chelsea fans experiencing issues with travel and acquiring tickets to the match.
However, speaking ahead of the match, Arsenal duo Granit Xhaka and Sokratis Papastathopoulos have insisted their team-mate’s absence has provided them with extra motivation to win the Europa League.
“Of course we are disappointed he’s not here but I think we spoke a lot about Mkhitaryan, and a lot of political things, and it’s time to speak about football,” Xhaka told the media on Tuesday.
“He’s very important for us, and we want to give him a trophy tomorrow.
“We’ve been twice in a row in the Europa League, and a club like Arsenal has to be in the Champions League.
“It’s an amazing and important game for us, because we want to give the club and the fans the Champions League back.”
Sokaritis, who also played with Mkhitaryan for several years at Borussia Dortmund, added: “We’ve had five or six years together, I know him very well, we are good friends.
“So I just wrote what I feel. But we have also to play for him and for the players who are injured, and tomorrow if we win this game, it’s also for them.”
Manchester United is delighted to announce that Mike Phelan has been appointed Assistant Manager on a three-year contract. Mike Phelan said: "I am thrilled to be back as Assistant Manager
Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea could play for arch-rivals Manchester City or Barcelona because his ability is at a "really high level" according to his former coach.
Manchester United news: David dea Gea 'could play for
Premier League 2018/19 kits rated: Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United impress but Arsenal are woeful. Agree with these judgements as the new kits for the 2018/19 season hit the shops
The good news for Spurs is that Vertonghen's absence from the lineup is perhaps the most easily mitigated in the entire team — Davinson Sanchez can easily slot into his absence, as can Juan Foyth.
Early Champions League Final Team News: Tottenham Hotspur vs
Championship title race: The table, odds for promotion and
John Terry: Aston Villa assistant and former Chelsea captain
Neil Warnock: Cardiff City boss hilariously stares down
West Ham have confirmed Samir Nasri, Andy Carroll and Adrian will leave the club when their respective contracts expire on June 30. Carroll managed 14 appearances in all competitions last season
West Ham news: Andy Carroll, Adrian and Samir Nasri to leave
Tottenham news: Sam Allardyce insists Spurs will be fine without Harry Kane and backs Heung-Min Son to thrive about 1 hour ago Tottenham news: Spurs midfielder Moussa Sissoko doesn't realise how dangerous he is, claims Tony Cascarino
News list for borussia dortmund s 14-year-old wonderkid
Roberto Firmino misses Liverpool's third-last Premier League clash against Huddersfield tonight, but Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is back in the squad. Firmino is absent due to a slight groin strain
Liverpool vs Huddersfield Town: TV channel, live stream
2018 NFL playoff odds, picks: Steelers, Pats, give us the AFC title game we all want The Vikings are looking to become the first team ever to play in the Super Bowl at their home stadium. They
NFL experts on the schedule: Picking best matchups and
No comments:
Post a Comment