Mkhitaryan Advised Not to Display Armenian Flag in Baku: Interview with Armenian Football Federation's First Vice President on CNN

The First Vice President and General Secretary of the Armenian Football Federation, Armen Melikbekyan, gave an interview to CNN discussing Arsenal midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan's decision not to travel to Baku.

"I must say that the decision not to go to Baku was made by the club and the player, and we believe that in the current situation, it is the best decision. We support this decision. As the AFF, we understand that there are several reasons, one of which is the excessive politicization of this issue in the host country," Melikbekyan stated.

According to Melikbekyan's sources, Mkhitaryan was advised not to display the Armenian flag in Baku.

"As football fans might remember, he displayed the Armenian flag two years ago in Stockholm after the final match as part of Manchester United, when Henrikh was one of the heroes of the match. Therefore, when we talk about security, there should also be assurance regarding the display of the flag after a potential victory," he said.