All change in Armenia
Thursday, 21 July 2005
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.