Ex-FFA chief recalls 2009 UEFA warning over flag incident

PanARMENIAN.Net - Former president of the Football Federation of Armenia (FFA) Ruben Hayrapetyan clarified what actually happened in the days leading up to Turkish President Abdullah Gül’s visit and why the Mount Ararat emblem was missing from Armenia’s national team jersey, 168.am reports.

"Capitulators think that I signed the November 9 agreement or the Prague document by which Nikol Pashinyan handed over and recognized Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan… I said it before and I repeat now: during the football diplomacy days, covering the Mount Ararat emblem with a ball on the jersey was simply a misunderstanding. It was my mistake, and I apologized at the time. I emphasize again: it was due to my omission, and there was no political motive behind it," said Hayrapetyan.

He reminded that in Turkey as well, the national team previously wore the old jersey, which clearly displayed Mount Ararat.

"They just later appeared in the new jersey. It was my fault again — the Federation staff had done it, and I didn’t control it," he added.

Hayrapetyan also shared a notable incident related to the situation that arose in Bursa, Turkey in October 2009, ahead of the World Cup 2010 qualifier between Turkey and Armenia.

"They forget that in Bursa in October 2009, before the World Cup qualifier between Turkey and Armenia, Turkish fans were banned from entering the stadium with Azerbaijani flags — thanks to the Federation president. This was despite a decision by the Bursa court allowing the flags.

I appealed to UEFA and said, ‘The team will not enter the field if Azerbaijani flags are present.’ Within one day, UEFA issued a note, and the Bursa court reversed its decision, banning Azerbaijani flags in the stadium. One flag was spotted, and the police removed it by force."

The former FFA president stressed that this intervention helped protect the rights of the national team and prevented tension from escalating during the match.

Earlier, Hayk Konjoryan, head of the ruling "Civil Contract" parliamentary faction, had tried to blame the ARF party for genocide denial, also mentioning the removal of the Mount Ararat emblem from the national team's jersey years ago.