Premier League Format and 'Legionnaires' Restriction: Armen Melikbekyan Appeals to Club Presidents

The next season of the Armenian Premier League will feature 2 formats and 3 options for the participation of local and foreign football players. Armenian Football Federation (AFF) President Armen Melikbekyan has officially addressed the presidents of the Premier League clubs, as reported by ffa.am. The AFF has proposed 2 options for consideration with the expectation of engaging in a relevant discussion.

1. In the next Premier League season, 10 teams will participate, playing in 4 rounds, culminating in 36 matches, plus additional matches from the Armenian VBET Cup, with one match in each stage. In this scenario, the league will follow a condensed schedule since there will also be 7 or 8 international matches for the Armenian national team during the fall. If this option is chosen, the first half of the league will continue until December 10, and the number of mid-week fixtures will be substantial. The density of the schedule will also depend on the European cup participation of Armenian teams. According to this option, the league cannot start later than August 7.

2. 10 teams will compete in 3 rounds, playing 27 matches, along with Armenian VBET Cup matches, with two matches in each stage. For the matches in the third round, home teams will be determined by a draw. If this option is chosen, the league cannot start later than August 14.

Regarding the restriction on foreign players, Armen Melikbekyan noted that there has never been a restriction on foreign players in game rosters or starting lineups in Armenia before the 2018/19 season (with the exception of a short-term restriction on foreign goalkeepers). In the current season, a specific restriction was applied, which states that out of the 23 players registered in the Premier League roster, at least 7 must be citizens of Armenia. According to the EAEU interstate agreement, citizens of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan have the same employment rights in Armenia.

Considering this situation and based on the overall interests of Armenian football, club presidents have been presented with several options regarding player participation in the Premier League:

1. A minimum of 9 players (out of 23) registered in the game roster must have trained in Armenia (these are players who have been registered with any club in Armenia from the ages of 15 to 21, for at least 3 seasons), of which at least 2 must be under 23 years old. There must be 2 players trained in Armenia on the field at the same time. If this condition is not met, the team will be recorded with a technical loss.

2. A minimum of 10 players (out of 23) must be trained in Armenia, with 2 of them under 23 years old. Failure to comply with this provision will result in a technical loss for the team.

3. A minimum of 9 players (out of 23) must be trained in Armenia, with 2 under 23 years old. There must be 3 players trained in Armenia on the field at the same time. If this stipulation is violated, the club will be fined $1000 for each player registered in the game roster who is less than 9 players trained in Armenia, and $2000 for each player on the field that is less than 3 players trained in Armenia. The collected fines will be allocated to a special account and fully directed toward the development of youth football.

This means that each team can field an unlimited number of foreign players, which, however, will lead to financial penalties.

The AFF is hopeful that clubs will present their views on the proposed options as well as their own suggestions/variations by July 6. The AFF is ready to engage in broad discussions on these issues to find the most optimal solutions in line with the current situation of Armenian club football.