Melikbekyan speaks about U20 World Cup stadiums, new clubs and his future in football

President of the Football Federation of Armenia Armen Melikbekyan touched on several important topics in a major interview with Armen Garamyan — from preparations for the U20 World Cup to the development of football in the regions, new clubs and his future after leaving the post of FFA president.

One of the main topics of the interview was Armenia and Georgia’s preparation to host the FIFA U20 World Cup. According to Melikbekyan, the Republican Stadium in Yerevan will be partially renovated to meet the requirements of the tournament.

He also noted that it was FIFA that required some of the stadiums to be located near the border with Georgia. That is why special attention in Armenia is being paid to facilities in Vanadzor and Ijevan.

Melikbekyan said that it had initially been decided that the final of the U20 World Cup would be held in Georgia, while the opening match and the third-place game would take place in Armenia. According to him, a stadium with a capacity of at least 35,000 spectators is required to host the final.

The FFA president stressed that the Football Federation of Armenia is not directly involved in the construction of stadiums — this is a decision made by the state. At the same time, according to him, the construction of new stadiums in the regions should give a serious boost to the development of football outside Yerevan.

The government has allocated 177.8 million drams for the Ijevan stadium project.

As an example, Melikbekyan mentioned Armavir, where a stadium and academy were opened in 2021. According to him, there was no professional club in the region at that time, while now Sardarapat has appeared there.

Melikbekyan also separately commented on the topic of Urartu’s stadium. He stated that the club’s stadium cannot be built with state funds.

“I don’t know why Urartu decided that out of 11 clubs, it is they whom the state or the FFA should help build a stadium,” Melikbekyan said.

Speaking about regional football, the FFA president said that after the completion of stadiums in Vanadzor and Ijevan, the Armenian national team will also be able to play its matches there. According to him, this will revive football in those regions.

Melikbekyan also stressed that Vanadzor must definitely have a professional club.

“It is a matter of time. We are holding negotiations on this,” he said.

According to the FFA president, football in Armenia cannot develop only in Yerevan or near Yerevan. He also noted that Syunik will be able to play temporarily in Sisian until the stadium in Kapan is ready.

Melikbekyan said that the mindset claiming that there supposedly cannot be clubs or spectators in Vanadzor or Ijevan needs to change. In his opinion, on the contrary, conditions must be created so that professional football can appear and develop in these cities.

Melikbekyan also responded to concerns that Armenia might not have enough time to prepare the stadiums for the U20 World Cup.

“If anyone thinks that we will not manage to host the World Cup because we will not have time to build the stadiums, I can say that there is no such danger,” he noted.

Melikbekyan stressed that the U20 World Cup is FIFA’s second most important tournament. According to him, this is not wording used by the Armenian government, but FIFA’s own position.

He also explained that the tournament is held at the beginning of autumn because of the specifics of the transfer window, not because the competition is considered secondary.

“At the moment, this is the highest-level tournament that small countries such as Armenia and Georgia can host. Apart from Qatar, no country of such a small size has hosted the U20 World Cup,” Melikbekyan said.

The interview also touched on the possible sale of the academy in Avan to Benfica. Melikbekyan did not give a direct answer, smiling as he neither confirmed nor denied the information.

In addition, the FFA president said that two more new clubs will appear in Armenia next year.

Speaking about his work as FFA president, Melikbekyan said that he considers it unfair to assess the Federation’s activity solely by the results of the national team.

According to him, the Federation’s task is to create conditions for the development of football, while the national team’s results are the ultimate goal of that work.

Melikbekyan highlighted three main achievements during his leadership of the FFA.

The first is the doubling of the number of children and young players involved in football, including in the regions. According to him, the number of settlements where football tournaments are held has also increased.

The second is the growth in the number of professional clubs. Melikbekyan noted that previously there were six, while now 12 clubs compete in the Premier League and another 7 in the First League. According to him, two more clubs will appear next year.

As the third important area, he named the creation of a foundation for futsal, women’s football and amateur football.

Melikbekyan also separately commented on his absence from the opening of Noah’s academy. According to him, he did not attend the event not because he did not want to, but because he did not receive an invitation.

“That is their right, I have no problems with that,” he noted.

The FFA president also said that, according to his expectations, there will be six teams in the new season of the women’s Premier League.

Melikbekyan confirmed that after completing his work as FFA president, he will remain in football. According to him, he will most likely continue working in UEFA and FIFA structures, where he currently holds the positions of vice-president of two UEFA committees and one FIFA committee, and is also a member of the UEFA Executive Committee.