The UEFA executive committee made perhaps the most absurd decision possible for the selection stage of the Armenia-Azerbaijan and Azerbaijan-Armenia games for “Euro 2008”. The problem arose when it came time to discuss where to hold the games. The Armenian side had declared that it was ready to play in Baku and receive the Azerbaijani team in Yerevan, guaranteeing their safety. However, Azerbaijan claims that it is not ready to visit Yerevan, and that it cannot guarantee the safety of the Armenian football players in Baku. The issue concerning the conduct of the games in a neutral field was under discussion, however, in the end, the UEFA executive committee decided that the games would not take place and each team would get 0 points “in their favor”. The correspondents of the Armenian Football Federation have already declared that they are not going to protest the decision of UEFA.
“The Armenian Football Federation and the Government of Armenia did everything they could to have the games take place. Unfortunately, this was not the decision that was made, but at the same time I trust and accept the charters of UEFA and FIFA, and that only the most essential and solid factors and arguments could have served as the basis for such an unprecedented decision,” announced Ruben Hayrapetyan, president of the Armenian Football Federation.