By Samindra Kunit in Baku, Azerbaijan
May 29 – At last the long journey and wait have come to an end. Tonight a London derby in Baku will decide the winner of the 2019 Europa League in a final that will be remembered by all involved for all the right or wrong reasons.
Major finals increasingly tend to have an antiseptic feel with corporate spenders too often taking over the showpiece event, but in recent seasons the Europa League has defied that trend. However in Baku so far there has been little sign of a showpiece match taking place.
Arsenal and Chelsea fans from across the continent filtered through the capital’s international airport in small numbers throughout the night – there have been no direct flights from London this week.
The distance – 4600km as the crow flies from London – the high travel costs (even for London’s monied football fans) and the overall inconvenience of actually finding a route that will get you there, have proven to be too big of an obstacle for most fans to hike to the remote Eurasian nation on the Caspian Sea.
Those who did make it – both clubs returned about half of their combined 12,000 ticket allocation – were seen gathering in Baku’s historic city centre on Tuesday night in restaurants and bars. Wednesday morning, with the final scheduled for an 11pm kick off local time, fans made their way to the fan zones as the build-up to the final slowly gathered pace.
In 2017, UEFA awarded the hosting rights to Baku, but the final has turned into a logistical and PR nightmare that has tarnished the reputation of both the host country, with its questionable human rights record and history of media repression, and UEFA. Baku will also serve as host city for three group games and a quarter-final at Euro 2020.
The European governing body faced embarrassment over Henrikih Mkhitaryan’s decision to not travel to Baku. UEFA and the Azerbaijani FA both claimed that the necessary guarantees were provided for Mkhitaryan, but the player – of Armenian heritage – deemed it unsafe to join the traveling party on account of the tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia. On Tuesday, Arsenal fans wearing a Mkhitaryan shirt were seen to be briefly stopped by police.
The preparation of the finalists hasn’t been smooth either. Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri stormed out of the team’s practice session on the eve of the final, while media recordings showed team-mates Gonzalo Higuain and David Luiz exchange words after a heavy challenge from the former, who is on loan from Juventus.
Sarri walked to the tunnel in frustration and threw his baseball cap away. The Italian, who has been linked with a move to Juventus, was reportedly upset by a part of the session being open, as required by UEFA rules.
Sarri has endured a wobbly season at Chelsea despite a qualifying for the Champions League and reaching the final in Baku. The Italian is pursuing the first trophy of his career. His Spanish counterpart Unai Emery has been a serial Europa League winner and the importance of this final can’t be understated for Arsenal.
The result will define Emery’s first season in North London where Arsenal’s wayward away form in the Premier League let slip a Champions League ticket. In Europe they dispatched Napoli and Valencia with mature and measured performances, but Champions League qualification remains the benchmark for a successful season.
Emery might turn to Arsenal’s 2-0 victory over the London rivals in January for inspiration. Playing two central strikers and a diamond formation in midfield, Arsenal suffocated Chelsea in the first half. The Spaniard will be looking for a similar scenario in Baku to end the season on a high.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.l1713237607labto1713237607ofdlr1713237607owedi1713237607sni@o1713237607fni1713237607