It is a scandal that Arsenal's Henrikh Mkhitaryan will miss the match of a lifetime next week because he is from Armenia and he fears for his safety at the Europa League final in Baku, UK MP Tom Watson said during the hearing in the parliament.

“It's also a scandal that Arsenal fans with Armenian names are being denied visas to Azerbaijan. It shows a deeply ugly side to the beautiful game and is completely unacceptable,” he said.

“If I was the secretary of state I would make it clear to the UEFA that this is completely unacceptable.  So will the Minister demand that UEFA ensures that countries that force players to choose between their sport and their safety and discriminate against travelling fans will never be allowed to host future events?” he wonders.