Ararat-Armenia Denies Shutdown Rumors Amid Samvel Karapetyan’s Arrest

Football club Ararat-Armenia has issued an official statement in response to a report by the "Zhoghovurd" newspaper, which cast doubt on the club’s future following the arrest of its owner, businessman Samvel Karapetyan, head of the Tashir Group.

The club called the report unfounded and stressed that drawing conclusions without an official response is unacceptable. “We urge everyone to distinguish personal matters from the club's professional activity. Publications containing distortions without official responses reflect a lack of professionalism,” the statement reads.

Ararat-Armenia also denied claims that the club’s general director, Poghos Galstyan, has distanced himself from Samvel Karapetyan. According to the statement, Galstyan remains close to Karapetyan and his family, supporting them in this difficult time.

The club reminded that since 2018, when Tashir took over Ararat-Armenia, the team has become an essential part of Armenian football. There is no basis to speak of a shutdown. On the contrary — on June 19, club staff met with the new coaching staff, and preparations for the new season and European competitions are well underway.

Earlier, Armenian authorities accused Russian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan of making public calls to seize power. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan also stated the need to nationalize the Electric Networks of Armenia, owned by the Tashir Group. Late in the evening on June 19, a court ordered Karapetyan’s arrest for two months. His lawyer, Armen Feroyan, said the decision would be appealed and described the charges as completely baseless.

Ararat-Armenia has officially confirmed that the club continues to operate as usual and remains committed to its goals, regardless of events surrounding its owner.

The club is actively preparing for the start of the UEFA Conference League, where it will face Romanian club Universitatea Cluj in the second qualifying round.

This summer, Ararat-Armenia changed its head coach and is conducting an active transfer campaign.