‘Pyunik’ Football Player Slaps Coach, Who Then Assaults Him

In a shocking incident at the Yerevan ‘Pyunik’ football club, a confrontation arose between the head coach and one of the players. According to reports from the Russian site Championat, the relationship between ‘Pyunik’ player Anton Kobyalko and coach Yeghishe Melikyan soured following a match against ‘Ararat-Armenia’ which ended in a 0-0 draw. The team decided to terminate Kobyalko's contract prematurely.

Before leaving, Kobyalko arrived at the team’s training base to bid farewell to his teammates. Approaching Melikyan, he demanded an apology for the insults directed at him during the game against ‘Ararat-Armenia’. Melikyan refused, after which Kobyalko slapped the coach in front of everyone and left.

According to the website's information, at the airport, Melikyan and Pyunik club’s deputy director Kim Arakelyan physically assaulted Kobyalko, delivering several blows to his head in front of witnesses.