FFA leadership has no intention to resign - statement

ArmInfo. The leadership of the Football Federation of Armenia does not intend to resign. This is stated in the statement of FFA President Armen Melikbekyan. 

"After the latest defeat of the Armenian national team, some of our  team's fans demanded the resignation of the FFA leadership,  expressing dissatisfaction not only with the insufficient results of  our football teams of different age groups, but also with the  activities of the federation as a whole. As one of the main  beneficiaries of football, I fully understand and accept the right of  fans to express their dissatisfaction and, I think, even if my  reaction does not dispel the doubts of people concerned about the  future of Armenia, at least it will become a subject of discussion. I  would also like to note that I am addressing exclusively people who  consider Armenian football a priority, and not opportunists who have  never done anything for Armenian football," the head of the FFA  noted.

He recalled that in December 2019, he assumed the duties of the  President of the Football Federation of Armenia with big dreams,  hopes, faith in the future and undying optimism. All this is  reflected in the FFA program for 2019-2025, which became the first  FFA strategy of its kind. "Unfortunately, today we must state that  some of the plans included in the strategy have not been implemented,  and some have been implemented partially. These are facts, which,  however, have serious objective and subjective reasons. I will name  the main reasons that have had a huge impact not only on football,  but also on Armenia and the whole world. Just 2 months after my  election, the whole world was immobilized for a long time due to the  coronavirus, and then a 44-day war began with dire consequences for  our country. In 2022, the conflict in Ukraine began, which completely  changed almost all world realities, making even the movement of  football teams a problem. The transformation of the currency market  seriously affected financial stability, and during this period,  Armenian football did not receive all the resources, the expected  income that would ensure the implementation of most of the strategic  plans. But even in these conditions, we managed to make many  fundamental changes in the panorama of Armenian football, the results  of which we will reap over time," Melikbekyan emphasized.

He noted that the football community is unhappy with the current  situation. "The lack of sharp progress, stable performance of the  national teams, the construction of a national stadium, the  fulfillment of various dreams for all of us - this is, first of all,  my job and responsibility. I assure you that the Football Federation  of Armenia did everything possible, even impossible, to achieve good  results. Unfortunately, this was not enough, and now we are  experiencing another negative cycle. There is a demand for  resignation, which has never bothered the FFA leadership. We were not  worried because we worked honestly, maintained fair conditions for  everyone, implemented many big projects that are necessary for good  football. It's just that some of our clubs tried to get privileges  and advantages from the federation over other teams, and when they  did not get them, they took places in the opposition.

It is clear that the FFA leadership is to blame for the current  situation, because, for example, we were unable to fully control the  observance of children's football standards in clubs. We also failed  to fully unite people who are not indifferent to Armenian football.  What is the solution? In recent years, a tradition of transparent and  competitive FFA management has been formed in football. Otherwise,  after each failure of the national team, the leadership of the  Federation will have to be changed, and then nothing will change. I  understand the discontent of our football fans, but I do not accept  conversations with ultimatums. I have never been tied to the seat of  the president of the federation, and have always preferred the  interests of football to personal interests. I consider it necessary  to complete the important initiatives that have been launched at the  moment, which, in the event of the necessary stability, should become  a reality in 2025," the FFA President summed up.