Tweet
COACH TROUBLE: ARARAT LEGEND FACES "EXPULSION" FROM ARMENIAN FOOTBALL
By Suren Musayelyan
ArmeniaNow
02.05.11
Andreasyan has been banned from performing his official duties at
Ararat for ten games.
A prominent Soviet-era Ararat player who now manages the club
playing in Armenia's top division is facing an expulsion from the
local football life after his violent conduct condemned by media,
fans and the wider sporting community.
Arkady Andreasyan, 63, who, as a midfielder, helped the Yerevan club
win the USSR championship and the Cup in 1973, has been banned from
performing his official duties at Ararat for ten games after allegedly
assaulting a young reporter during an Armenian Premier League game
late last month.
In explaining the April 23 incident through his spokesman
Andreasyan implied he had been provoked into that kind of behavior by
Totalfootball.am photo journalist Ashot Arushanyan who, according to
him, had been taking pictures of him without having an accreditation
or any other explicit permission to do that work.
The 19-year-old photo reporter was hospitalized with injuries after
being allegedly punched by Andreasyan and his guards and the coach
was later questioned by police over the incident, according to media
reports.
Local sport journalists have condemned the beating of their colleague,
which, they said, also constituted obstruction to his professional
duty, and Ararat fans have reportedly called for Andreasyan's
resignation as the team's head coach and vice-president over "bringing
the club's name into disrepute."
While the infamously bad-tempered coach is facing more questions
from law enforcement, the Football Federation is considering the
proposal from its disciplinary committee to declare Andreasyan a
"persona non-grata" in Armenian football.
Andreasyan himself appears to have shunned media since the committee's
April 28 decision that also included a 250,000-dram (about $670)
fine against FC Ararat.
Meanwhile, playing without their controversial coach, Ararat managed
to end their losing streak of five league games with an away 1-1 draw
against Gyumri's Shirak at the weekend.
The result still leaves Ararat at the bottom of the eight-team league's
standings with only two points in seven games.
Premier League leaders Ulysses are still under pressure from reigning
champions Pyunik and the season's surprise package Gandzasar Kapan
after losing at home to Impuls.
In Round 7 Gandzasar beat Banants 2-0 and Pyunik lost to Mika 0-1. Now
the two are, respectively, one and three points behind Ulysses. The
Kapan team is to take on the leader in Yerevan in the next round
scheduled for the coming weekend.
(Check the Football Federation's official website www.ffa.am for more
information and statistics on the 2011 Premier League).
From: A. Papazian
By Suren Musayelyan
ArmeniaNow
02.05.11
Andreasyan has been banned from performing his official duties at
Ararat for ten games.
A prominent Soviet-era Ararat player who now manages the club
playing in Armenia's top division is facing an expulsion from the
local football life after his violent conduct condemned by media,
fans and the wider sporting community.
Arkady Andreasyan, 63, who, as a midfielder, helped the Yerevan club
win the USSR championship and the Cup in 1973, has been banned from
performing his official duties at Ararat for ten games after allegedly
assaulting a young reporter during an Armenian Premier League game
late last month.
In explaining the April 23 incident through his spokesman
Andreasyan implied he had been provoked into that kind of behavior by
Totalfootball.am photo journalist Ashot Arushanyan who, according to
him, had been taking pictures of him without having an accreditation
or any other explicit permission to do that work.
The 19-year-old photo reporter was hospitalized with injuries after
being allegedly punched by Andreasyan and his guards and the coach
was later questioned by police over the incident, according to media
reports.
Local sport journalists have condemned the beating of their colleague,
which, they said, also constituted obstruction to his professional
duty, and Ararat fans have reportedly called for Andreasyan's
resignation as the team's head coach and vice-president over "bringing
the club's name into disrepute."
While the infamously bad-tempered coach is facing more questions
from law enforcement, the Football Federation is considering the
proposal from its disciplinary committee to declare Andreasyan a
"persona non-grata" in Armenian football.
Andreasyan himself appears to have shunned media since the committee's
April 28 decision that also included a 250,000-dram (about $670)
fine against FC Ararat.
Meanwhile, playing without their controversial coach, Ararat managed
to end their losing streak of five league games with an away 1-1 draw
against Gyumri's Shirak at the weekend.
The result still leaves Ararat at the bottom of the eight-team league's
standings with only two points in seven games.
Premier League leaders Ulysses are still under pressure from reigning
champions Pyunik and the season's surprise package Gandzasar Kapan
after losing at home to Impuls.
In Round 7 Gandzasar beat Banants 2-0 and Pyunik lost to Mika 0-1. Now
the two are, respectively, one and three points behind Ulysses. The
Kapan team is to take on the leader in Yerevan in the next round
scheduled for the coming weekend.
(Check the Football Federation's official website www.ffa.am for more
information and statistics on the 2011 Premier League).
From: A. Papazian