GEORGIANS PROHIBIT ARMENIAN PLAYER FROM PLAYING IN YEREVAN

A1+
[02:26 pm] 22 January, 2009

The Armenian football team may not have a chief goalkeeper during the
European championship selective round to be held in February. Chief
trainer of the team Ruben Nazaretyan told "A1+" that the Georgian
"Iberia" team doesn’t allow goalkeeper Ernest Akopov to arrive
in Yerevan.

Ernest Akopov is the goalkeeper for the Armenian national team and
the Georgian champion "Iberia" team. The Georgian team administration
has prohibited Ernest from playing for the Armenian team without any
serious reason. We found out from Georgian insiders that "Iberia"
hasn’t even let some of its players to play in the Georgian national
team.

In any case, the Armenian team has started getting ready for the
selective round to be held February in Bulgaria. The 16 members of
the team headed by Ruben Nazaretyan train once a day in the "Dinamo"
and "Kilikia" gyms of Yerevan. It was foreseen that Armenia would
play a test match in January, but the Armenian football players are
still training.

Ruben Nazaretyan informed that the team is currently training without
the legioners.

"Before leaving for Bulgaria, we will be joined by Armen Danielyan from
Cyprus, as well as Edgar Kirakosyan from Lebanon. Karo Hovhannisyan
from Russia will not be invited this time because he hasn’t been
trained enough yet," said Nazaretyan.