Scandal: Armenian Footballer Claims Coach Assaulted and Insulted Him

In the photo, the head coach of 'Ararat', Abraham Khashmanyan.

Armfootball.com reports: 'Ararat' winger Mpumilelo Dadiboy Zwan has filed a complaint with the Football Federation of Armenia against the team's head coach, Abraham Khashmanyan. The South African footballer accuses the coach of assaulting him. ArmFootball.com spoke with the 22-year-old player.

- How did you end up at 'Ararat' and what were your impressions of the team and the coach?

- I came to 'Ararat' through my agent Haik, the coach liked my playing style and said I needed to work hard.

- What happened after the restart of the season? Why were you playing less?

- We traveled to Sochi and Cyprus, but the coach, Abraham Khashmanyan, never gave me an opportunity to play. If he gave me playing time in friendly matches, he would put me in a different position on the field, and after 5 minutes, he'd substitute me.

- What happened with coach Abraham Khashmanyan?

- On March 2nd, 'Ararat' lost. I didn't play, but after the game, he approached me and said I was smiling and slapped me. I was very angry, and one of my teammates saw it and was also very upset. I didn’t say anything because I thought they would kick me out of the team. If I said something, everyone would know.

The next incident happened on March 25th after a friendly match. I also didn’t get much time to play. I played 10 minutes in the left-back position, even though I’m a left winger. Every time he put me in a different position; even during training, I struggled to adapt. After the game, Abraham came to my room and called me, yelling 'fool, useless, black foreigner' before slapping and hitting me. I started pushing him away; some players saw what was happening and came to stop the coach. I was in pain and also in shock that a coach could hit a player like that. The worst part is that he came to my room and beat me because I had always stayed silent.

For more details, visit the source website.