Arsenal have demanded answers from UEFA over the ticketing and travel fiascos marring the Europa League final clash against Chelsea in Azerbaijan later this month.

However, the club have been left embarrassed after it emerged that former Arsenal CEO Ivan Gazidis was a member of the UEFA committee that ratified the decision to host this year's final in Baku.

Arsenal released a statement on Thursday morning, condemning the fact that only 6,000 tickets have been made available for their supporters in a stadium with a capacity in excess of 60,000.

Arsenal say they are 'bitterly disappointed' by the venue for the Europa League final (above)

But former Arsenal CEO Ivan Gazidis was a member of the UEFA committee that ratified the decision to host this year's final in Baku

The club also criticised the transport provision for the match, as most supporters are needing to take flights with changes in Turkey, Ukraine or the Middle East in order to get to Baku.

A statement read: 'We are bitterly disappointed by the fact that due to transport limitations UEFA can only make a maximum of 6,000 tickets available to Arsenal for a stadium with a capacity of well over 60,000. Time will tell if it is even possible for 6,000 Arsenal fans to attend the match, given how extreme the travel challenges are.

'We have received many complaints from our fans about this and we fully share their concerns. On behalf of our fans, we would like to understand the criteria by which venues are selected for finals, and also how supporter requirements are taken into account as part of this.

'We would be happy to join any future discussions to avoid this situation happening again.'

The near-3,000 mile trip to Baku via road from the Emirates would take in excess of 50 hours

The Gunners are set to play Premier League rivals Chelsea in the final on May 29 in Baku

However, Arsenal's pronouncements rang hollow when it emerged that Gazidis, who left the club to join AC Milan last summer, was part of the UEFA Executive Committee in September 2017 that opted to award the final to Baku.

The committee chose Baku ahead of alternative stadiums in Seville and Istanbul.

UEFA's annual report for the 2017-18 season shows that Gazidis formed part of the committee in his role as a representative for the European Club Association.

Only seven miles separate the teams but fans must embark on a 2,500-mile trip for the final

A source close to Arsenal insisted Gazidis was not present in a club capacity and was duty-bound to follow UEFA's preference - despite being the Arsenal CEO at the time.

Sportsmail can also reveal that UEFA on Friday sent out an email to mailing lists of supporters claiming that tickets are still available for the final in Baku. This suggests that English fans are finding the journey to Azerbaijan overly obstructive. UEFA did not respond to requests for comment.