Yeghishe Melikyan Possible to Become Head Coach of National Team

Over the past week, our sources in the football world have insisted that the Football Federation of Armenia (FFA) has decided to terminate the contract with head coach John van 't Schip and appoint Yeghishe Melikyan, the current head coach of FC Pyunik, as the new coach of the Armenian national team. This is reported by the newspaper 'Zhoghovurd'.

Melikyan is certainly an acceptable figure who has shown results in Armenian football and has also stood out due to open conflicts with the current leadership of the FFA. For instance, in one of his interviews, Melikyan even referred to the FFA vice president, Armen Nikoghosyan, as resembling Rudolf from a criminal series.

Nonetheless, Melikyan's potential appointment ahead of the upcoming Armenia-Portugal match in September could inspire hope among fans. However, it is also quite dangerous for Melikyan's football reputation, as it will be difficult to get the national team in shape within such a short period and compete for qualifying for the World Cup finals.

Sources close to football at ArmLur.am have expressed concern that the FFA might appoint Yeghishe Melikyan as the national team's coach and, in the event of potential failure, blame him for it. Meanwhile, as our sources noted, under Melikyan's supervision, the FFA has distinguished itself over the years with a series of failures and disgraceful results from various age-level teams, which implies that it is impossible to achieve results in football while these individuals remain in the federation.

Yerevan's FC Pyunik was unable to overcome the obstacle posed by Hungary's Diósgyőr in the second qualifying round of the Conference League, as the team led by Yeghishe Melikyan lost the second leg 1:3.

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