Ruben Nazaretyan’s new role. Antonio Fernández appointed head coach of Armenia futsal national team

Today, at the FFA Technical Centre/Football Academy, FFA President Armen Melikbekyan presented the changes in the national futsal team.

The meeting was attended by heads of all FFA departments and members of the Armenia national futsal team.

Ruben Nazaretyan will now serve as chief advisor to the FFA President. The national team will be led by spanish specialist Antonio Fernández, who has been working with our national team for a long time.

FFA President Armen Melikbekyan thanked Ruben Nazaretyan for his tremendous work.

“After 24 years, Ruben Nazaretyan has decided to take on a different role within the FFA. This is a new chapter that will contribute to the development of Armenian futsal and football. Words of gratitude are not enough, as many difficulties have been overcome during this period.

Both in previous years and this year, we have had many memorable moments. The emotions after the matches against the Czech Republic and Ukraine were unforgettable. For that, I would like to thank him once again. From now on, Ruben Nazaretyan will serve as Chief Advisor to the FFA President. Together, we are trying to bring a major international project to Armenia. Negotiations are currently ongoing, and I hope it will succeed, fulfilling Ruben Nazaretyan’s dream of establishing a football-futsal school based on the Brazilian system.

In recent years, Ruben Nazaretyan has been a member of UEFA’s Futsal committee, where his work plays a significant role. As a member of the UEFA Executive committee, and together with Ruben Nazaretyan, we will try to implement projects that will greatly contribute to the development of futsal on the international stage. I believe that within the next 1-2 years, our international projects will come to life. Nazaretyan is well known in the futsal world he is listened to, his opinion is sought, and he plays a key role in the futsal committee. Now is the right time to try to further popularize the sport and achieve broader representation in Europe. I wish Antonio good luck. The FFA must have the highest ambitions in futsal, and we must be guided by those goals. We have all seen what it means to compete at the highest level, and we want to repeat that. I believe that by staying united, we can achieve this, and through our collective efforts, everything will work out. Armenian futsal will continue to bring us joy.”

Ruben Nazaretyan noted that the time had come to step down as head coach.

“I thank everyone who has been with us since 2002, supporting and believing in this project. I thank all the players with whom we overcame difficulties and reached the European Championship. I thank the current FFA leadership for believing in the program and standing by us. I leave with the feeling that my mission as head coach is complete. A much more challenging job lies ahead, as all the projects we have will require even greater effort and energy. The new head coach has been part of the process for 1.5-2 years. He already understands what the Armenia national team and the concept of family mean. It will be difficult for Antonio, as we have reached a level below which we cannot compete. I will always stand by Antonio. We believe in him and the coaching staff. I know the team will always remain at a high level. I did not make the decision to step down recently - I made it before the European Championship qualifying stage.”

Newly appointed head coach Antonio Fernández emphasized that he was welcomed as a family member from day one.

“Before my arrival, tremendous work had already been done in futsal. Our mission is clear-we must continue to make history and do everything we can. We face a difficult challenge qualifying for the World Cup. Only the strongest teams from Europe reach the main stage. We must make maximum efforts to meet this challenge and achieve our goal. It is evident that all of Armenia’s opponents now take us more seriously, which is very important. I will continue to do what I have been doing and will once again enjoy working with our players.”

Under Antonio Fernández’s leadership, the national team has already begun its training camp, which will continue until april 25.