Dansk Boldspil-Union, Denmark
July 22 2005
All change in Armenia
Monthly review: FC Lernayin Artsakh have been excluded, reducing the
Armenian Premier League to eight teams.
By Khachik Chakhoyan
FC Lernayin Artsakh have been excluded from the Premier League by the
Football Federation of Armenia. The decision comes weeks after the
club released a statement saying they did not want to play in the top
flight any more. Lernayin Artsakh were also fined ?1,000.
Reduced numbers
As a result, the Premier League now comprises just eight teams, who
will be given automatic 3-0 wins over Lernayin Artsakh for the
remainder of the season. However, the Yerevan side’s first eleven
results stand.
Relegation play-off
In a change of format, the top six clubs at the end of the campaign
will play a second tournament for the league title. The bottom two
face a relegation play-off, with the loser going down automatically,
while the winner will still have to beat the First Division
runners-up to stay up.
Homegrown Banants
FC Banants’s policy of replacing foreign imports with local talent
continues with the departures of Vesik Chikhladze and Artyom
Yevlanov, who become the third and fourth non-Armenians to leave the
club this term. The strategy has so far failed to deliver success,
with Banants going down 3-2 at home to FC Lokomotiv Tbilisi in their
UEFA Cup first qualifying round first leg.
Ararat strife
FC Ararat Yerevan’s parlous financial state continues to worsen, and
they have lost four foreign players – Basden Uzuher, Musa Irumekhaj,
Pol Okechukwu and Vakhtang Hakobyan – whose wages were not paid. To
compound Ararat’s misery, they suffered heavy defeats in each of
their last three matches.
Pyunik lead the way
Despite early exits from Europe, FC Pyunik and FC MIKA remain in
contention for domestic silverware. Unbeaten Pyunik lead the table,
while Banants, FC Kilikia and FC Kotayk look set to battle for third.
The sixth and final ‘play-off’ place might well be between FC
Dinamo-Zenit Yerevan and FC Shirak.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress