After Lopez's Concert, Stadium Turf Slightly Damaged; 'Ararat' Match Might Be Postponed, Director Says

The turf at the Republican Stadium was slightly damaged after the concert of global pop star Jennifer Lopez. However, there is no serious problem. This was stated by Ashot Barsheghyan, the director of the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium, in an interview with NEWS.am Sport.

According to official data, 30,000 fans attended Jennifer Lopez's concert at the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium on August 3. A significant portion of the audience followed the concert from a fan zone that was built directly on the pitch. During the nearly two-hour concert, Armenian fans danced on the grass and enjoyed the pop artist's first major concert in Yerevan.

After the concert on August 4, the President of the Football Federation of Armenia (FFA), Armenia Melikbekyan, and Vice President Armen Nikoghosyan visited the Republican Stadium with specialists to assess the condition of the turf.

“The stadium's turf was slightly damaged after the concert, but everything is manageable, and everything will be fine. There is no serious issue, and what has been damaged will be repaired by our specialists; it won't be a topic of concern. I don’t think there will be a need to change the grass,” Barsheghyan said.

“The president and vice president of the Football Federation visited the Republican Stadium, where they evaluated the condition of the turf with specialists. After visiting the stadium, there was a discussion with specialists at the federation. The federation will be more precise in stating the condition of the turf. It’s nature; it’s grass, and it will recover. There will be no problems. We will do everything to ensure it gets restored. Perhaps due to this situation, the federation might postpone the match of Ararat (referring to the third qualifying round return match of Ararat-Armenia), but no other issues will arise. The federation will provide a more accurate response on this matter, as I am not a specialist to assess the damage. Specialists have discussed it, and only the president and vice president of the FFA can provide a clear answer,” Barsheghyan added.