Today, April 9, a major press conference was held by the Football Federation of Armenia (FFA) at the “Republican” stadium. Speaking to the media were FFA President Armen Melikbekyan, Vice President Armen Nikoghosyan, and General Secretary Artur Azaryan. The federation leaders addressed a wide range of issues concerning both the current state and the future of Armenian football.
One of the key topics was the age issue of the Armenian national team — a subject we covered earlier this year. Melikbekyan acknowledged that this is indeed a serious challenge for the federation. According to him, the average age of the current squad is problematic and changes are expected in the future. However, he did not outline any concrete solutions. This raises the logical question: how can the team be rejuvenated if the youth teams have not been producing positive results for a long time?
The FFA also announced its ambitious plans for the coming years:
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construction of a national stadium;
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creation of a professional football league (though clubs are not yet united on this);
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a joint bid with Georgia to host the U20 World Cup in 2029;
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expansion of lower divisions and reforms in the competition system.
When asked about a possible resignation, Melikbekyan replied negatively, emphasizing that only the FFA Executive Committee has the authority to make such decisions.
The press conference was not without incidents: verbal altercations occurred with some journalists, and certain political questions irritated representatives of the federation.