Bernd Leno has branded the absence of Arsenal team-mate Henrikh Mkhitaryan from Wednesday's Europa League final against Chelsea a 'scandal'.
Mkhitaryan has chosen not to travel to Baku for safety reasons due to the long-standing political tensions between his native Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Despite receiving assurances about his security, the playmaker decided it was best not to travel following talks with his club and family.
Bernd Leno has called Henrikh Mkhitaryan's absence from the Europa League final a 'scandal'
Unai Emery will now be without a player who has featured heavily in Arsenal's run to the final.
Goalkeeper Leno said: 'It's a scandal that he cannot play because of that, he works hard all season and cannot come to such a final for political reasons. I'm just sorry for him.'
UEFA's decision to stage the final in Azerbaijan has been widely criticised and not just because a player has been forced to sit out the occasion.
Azerbaijan has proved problematic and too expensive for fans to get to, with both clubs only given allocations 6,000 partly due to the nearest airport only being able to accommodate 15,000 visitors a day.
Leno admits that he feels sorry for Mkhitaryan for being unable to play against Chelsea
And the sense of farce surrounding the game has been added to with Arsenal sending back 2,300 tickets and Chelsea around 4,000.
The allocations of both clubs inside the ground are likely to be significantly closer, however.
Arsenal fans can opt to have tickets delivered to their home addresses by post and some are believed to have bought them as souvenirs but not to travel due to the difficulty of the trip.
The Olympic Stadium holds 69,870 and any gaps in the stands would cause embarrassment for UEFA, whose decision to
