Azerbaijan to appeal to UEFA over Armenian footballer’s provocation

Armenian football player Henrikh Mkhitaryan from Italian Inter FC has once again resorted to his traditional provocation.

This time Mkhitaryan decided to show his origins on a map in response to a question on a TV channel, according to Report.

He depicted Armenia and part of Azerbaijan as his “homelands” in a drawing on a blank sheet. To depict the so-called "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic", which is not recognised by any state in the world, even by Armenia itself, as part of his country, is not only disrespectful to the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, not only contrary to international law and the sporting rules of "fair-play", but also, to put it mildly, reveals the ill-manneredness of the football player himself.

“AFFA [Azerbaijan Football Federations Association] has been informed of the provocation,” said the AFFA spokesman Firuz Abdullah, adding that the relevant procedures have already started.

The necessary legal documents will be prepared and relevant appeals will be sent to UEFA and the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) within a day, he added.

It is actually absurd to expect anything different from our insidious neighbours. Whether it is a football player, a politician, a journalist or any ordinary citizen of Armenian nationality, they are all so steeped in lies, fantasies, and empty ideas that they can only express a sense of false patriotism by encroaching on the legal territory of another state.

Interestingly, this is not the first such case, Inter Milan is not the first club to fall into Mkhitaryan's trap. He has tried to spread his delusions and mislead football fans of many millions before - while playing for English Arsenal, German Borussia Dortmund, and Italian Roma. Apparently, Mkhitaryan, who misses his illegally built villa in Shusha, is so stunned by Azerbaijan’s "iron fist" that he cannot get rid of his nostalgic memories.

Azerbaijani internet users have already reacted to the footballer's provocation. But this is not the end of the matter. It is necessary to officially notify FIFA, UEFA, the Italian Football Federation, and Inter FC; demand to remove this ridiculous video from the club's pages and demand an official apology. The Italian embassy, with which Azerbaijan has very good relations, should also be notified.

Sports lawyer Farid Hagverdiyev, whom Report approached on this issue, noted that both FIFA and UEFA require all countries and clubs to respect each other's territorial integrity, culture and beliefs.

"At the same time, FIFA's statutes state that the organisation encourages friendship between its members - associations, confederations, clubs, officials and players. By formally contacting these structures, an apology could be demanded, urging Inter to remove the post. This may not have any effect, but in any case, it must be done to stop Armenians from making further provocations in other spheres,” he said.