Football as a Means to Avoid Military Service: "Zhoghovurd"

A so-called "sports mafia" allegedly operates in Armenia to facilitate evasion of military service. This information was reported by the newspaper "Zhoghovurd." The publication notes that there are many cases in Armenia where young men over the age of 18 are avoiding mandatory military service for various reasons, including fake illnesses, changing citizenship, or pursuing academic careers.

Investigations by the newspaper have revealed that football has become a significant avenue for avoiding military service, particularly with the establishment of the Central Sports Club of the Armed Forces (BКMA) in 2019, which is still active today.

“Parents of football players approaching military age who contacted our editorial office are reporting that this club has become a place for elite children to escape military conscription. It is surprising that the registration processes are handled by individuals with no ties to the military (referring to the President of the Football Federation of Armenia, Armen Melikbekyan, and Vice President Armen Nikoghosyan, whose son has also reportedly avoided military service for unknown reasons, as well as many current leaders of the federation who, for reasons unknown, never served, and the coaching staff of BКMA),” the newspaper writes.

It has been communicated to the newspaper that the number of individuals getting exempted from military service through this club is potentially in the dozens, with two teams operating in the premier and first groups. According to the publication, the football world experienced a significant jolt regarding BКMA when Arthur Soghomonyan, the owner of the "Pyunik" club, made direct accusations against the federation. He questioned the qualifications of some BКMA players.

The media has cross-referenced data and identified that one of these players is Tigran Sargsyan, the son of the Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, Kristine Galachyan, whose father recently became a member of the Executive Committee of the Football Federation and is regarded as a close associate of Armen Melikbekyan.

The newspaper emphasizes that this issue should become a subject of investigation by law enforcement agencies to examine potential abuses by the Football Federation of Armenia, as the integrity of the country’s defense capabilities is directly at stake.

“Significantly, the overwhelming majority of players from this team, who were essentially exempted from military service, are not even called up to the Armenian national team; specifically, in the most recent official matches, only the BКMA goalkeeper was included in the squad, who did not step onto the field,” the publication states.

As a form of assistance to law enforcement agencies, the newspaper has presented the names of players from the first call-up included in BКMA who left football after “serving” and did not continue in the sport: Aram Koloyan, Arsen Gyulambaryan, Arman Kishmishyan, Vrej Martirosyan, Stepan Saharyana, Radik Sargsyan, Petros Manukyan, Mamikon Dermegchyan, Arshak Poghosyan.