Pyunik to Play International Matches in Tbilisi as Football Federation Denies Central Stadium Access

The daily newspaper 'Jokhovurd' reports that in our times, there is perhaps little left to be surprised by. However, it turns out that the leadership of the Armenian Football Federation, favored by the current government, is going further and crossing all boundaries of imagination.

A sensational event could occur as the newly crowned champion of Armenia, Yerevan's 'Pyunik', set to play in the Champions League and certainly drawing thousands of football fans, must go abroad to play. The team’s head coach, Yeghishe Melikyan, has publicly stated that they may play at Dynamo Stadium in Tbilisi. According to him, the reason for this is the federation's refusal to allocate the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium for 'Pyunik's' international matches, instead suggesting smaller stadiums outside Yerevan, which will not allow the many thousands of fans to attend the matches.

Additionally, 'Pyunik' does not have a training venue, with fields available in Georgia instead. Thus, the federation is not only denying access to the central stadium but is also depriving the team of adequate conditions to train ahead of international fixtures. It is strange that the long-simmering conflict between 'Pyunik' and the Football Federation has now moved to a completely different level, likely inciting the anger of tens of thousands of Armenian fans, which could escalate tensions within the government.

Incidentally, the decisive match of the penultimate round in the Armenian league, 'Pyunik'-'Noah', took place at the Junior Sport Stadium in Yerevan, which accommodates just over 1200 spectators. The match was highly interesting; however, a massive crowd was left outside, putting lives at risk. There were frequent calls from the stadium for people to descend from the heights adjacent to the stadium, as a high-tension power line was running through there. Among the thousands gathered were many children and teenagers.