John van’t Schip unhappy with Lucas Zelarayán’s behavior

The head coach of the Armenian national team, John van’t Schip, expressed his dissatisfaction with Lucas Zelarayán’s decision to decline a national team call-up for the second time in a row.

According to the Dutch specialist, in March, Zelarayán did not join the team due to family reasons — which was met with understanding. However, for the June matches against Kosovo and Montenegro, the midfielder once again refused the invitation, this time citing a desire to go on vacation. This decision deeply disappointed van’t Schip, who said that Zelarayán is unlikely to be called up for Armenia’s upcoming official matches.

John van’t Schip’s statement at the press conference ahead of the match against Kosovo:

“Lucas had personal issues in March. But this is a different situation. At first, we couldn’t even reach him. Eventually, federation representatives managed to get through — and Lucas said he wanted to go on vacation and asked not to be called up for this camp.

I am very disappointed. A player shouldn’t decide on his own when he wants to play for the national team and when not. What if this happens ahead of official matches? That’s unacceptable.

At the same time, I’m satisfied with the players currently at my disposal. I believe that everyone should come to the national team with great desire and motivation.”