Defeat, Challenges, Dismissal: Interview with with former sports director Artur Voskanyan
The Armenian national football team recently drew 2-2 against the Faroe Islands in the UEFA Nations League and lost 0-2 to North Macedonia. Following the defeat, Oleksandr Petrakov was dismissed from his position as head coach. FAF (the Federation of Armenian Football) held a protest outside the FFA headquarters, initially demanding a meeting with the FFA president, and later calling for his resignation.
The recent performances of the national team have sparked discussions. “Noah” former sporting director Arthur Voskanyan pointed out that the most important issue in Armenian football is the development of youth football:
We need to understand how to work so that Armenian players, who grow up in Armenia and are talented, can reach the national team. In our recent games, probably only 2-3 players have received their football education in Armenia. The rest have either come from abroad and were granted citizenship or are Armenian players who received their football education in other countries. It is important that the core of the national team consists of players who have grown up with the Armenian mentality.
Aside from the national team’s performances, the football community also discussed Oleksandr Petrakov’s dismissal. According to Voskanyan, this decision was the right one:
Petrakov is a very good coach, but the Armenian national team didn’t have consistent performances. We had already failed in this Nations League, and yes, the decision was correct because Petrakov was not able to mentally prepare for the games.
When asked who should lead the national team, Voskanyan stated:
The Armenian national team should be led by an Armenian coach. It is very important that the majority of the coaching staff consists of Armenian coaches, because our mentality is different. Our specialists know the right way to speak with and motivate the players.