Urartu Football Club has opposed amendments to the Football Federation of Armenia’s (FFA) statutes that remove Armenian-language proficiency and residency requirements for candidates seeking election to its executive committee.
The amendments were approved at the federation’s extraordinary general assembly on November 4. Under the revised rules, candidates are no longer required to speak Armenian or to have permanently resided in Armenia for at least one year before their nomination.
Urartu, which voted against the changes, argued that the previous requirements helped ensure candidates understood the challenges facing Armenian football clubs and could work with the federation’s official documentation.
“We believe this decision runs counter to the interests of Armenian football. The requirement to reside in Armenia before nomination provided at least a minimum guarantee that a candidate was familiar with Armenian football and the problems clubs face every day,” the club said in a statement.
Urartu also stressed that knowledge of Armenian was essential for working with the federation’s documentation, which is maintained in the country’s official language.
The club called for the eligibility criteria to reflect the federation leadership’s responsibility to Armenia’s football community and said any statutory amendments must comply with national legislation.
Urartu further emphasized the importance of fair elections for the FFA presidency, pledging to focus its future actions on ensuring transparency in the electoral process.
