During yesterday’s press conference the head of the football federation Ruben Hayrapetyan answered to journalists’ questions and commented on the announcement of the head of the supports committee Gagik Tsarukyan, according to which Tsarukyan did not go to Bursa because he knew the Armenian football team would lose the game. Tsarukyan said in October that the reason why he had refused to go to Bursa is that he knew the team would lose the game and added the following: “I said that I would not go there. Wherever I go we must win.” Concerning Tsarukyan’s words the head of the football federation Ruben Hayrapetyan said, “I don’t think this statement is moral. Of course the situation worsens when such announcement is made by the head of the Olympic Committee of Armenia. It was not a moral action. One day before the match in Bursa the team of young people was playing in Eskishehir city, which is an Olympic team too. He should have seen how these guys were playing. 50 young Armenians opened the three color flag of Armenia. They were not sure that the Armenian team was stronger than the Turkish one either. But they were sure that our team would do their best. Gagik Tsarukyan is not the Bulgarian Vanga to make predictions. It would be better if he came to Bursa with us and supported us with his muscles,” said Ruben Hayrapetyan.
In answer to a question concerning the failure to provide financial support from the budget to the football team he said, “The football federation does not need money. Let them spend this money on building football fields in the regions and encouraging football in kindergartens. I am repeating my words: the federation does not need money, the one that needs money is the football.”
