The Dispute is Very Serious: Yeghishe Melikyan on Leading the Armenian National Team

The head coach position of the Armenian national team is being considered for Yeghishe Melikyan, known to Ukrainian fans as a player and now as a coach. This was reported by Sport.ua and relayed by ArmSport.

In the second half of the last decade and the beginning of this decade, the 45-year-old specialist led Kamensky's Stal and Lviv, while in recent years he has been at the helm of Yerevan's Pyunik.

Melikyan answered questions from a Sport.ua reporter regarding leading the Armenian national team.

– Is it true that you are considered one of the candidates for the head of the Armenian national team?

– This is a very delicate question. I do not want to comment, but I will say a few words. There has been a conflict for several years between FC Pyunik and the Armenian Football Federation. From the very beginning, I have supported the president of the club where I work. I fight for him both on and off the field. I believe this fact will hinder me from leading the Armenian national team. Many ambitious people work in our federation, for whom result is not as important as personal image. I am sure they understand that I can really help the national team, but for those reasons, they will not take that step.

– What if, hypothetically, the football community, specifically the Armenian fans and independent media, express a united opinion that they want to see you as the head of the team; would that step be possible from your side?

– If society really wants this and makes it known, only then would I be prepared to take the appropriate steps. The opinion of the fans and the club president is very important to me. The dispute is very serious.

– What is the cause of this dispute?

– I do not want to speak about it. I will only say that it is so serious that Pyunik is 99 percent likely to withdraw from the league.