The court has dismissed the well-known lawsuits filed by Noah and Anna Ohanyan without considering their merits

The court has left unexamined the claims filed by Noah FC and Anna Ohanyan, a member of the Executive Committee of the Football Federation of Armenia (FFA), challenging the FFA Executive Committee’s decision. As a result of the court’s ruling, the restriction limiting clubs in the Armenian Premier League and First League to a maximum of 15 foreign players on their squad lists will remain in place. Armenian clubs may not register more than 15 foreign players. It should be recalled that Noah FC had sought to have this restriction lifted.

The court’s decisions enter into force within seven days of their publication.

The claims filed by Noah FC and Anna Ohanyan essentially concerned Clause 20.03 of the Regulations, which establishes a limit on the number of foreign players in the Armenian championship. Under Clause 20.03, clubs may include a maximum of 15 players on their squad lists for the season who have not been trained in Armenia and/or are not members of Armenia’s national teams or age-group national teams. The limit applies to the club’s first and second teams combined.

Background and Details

On July 17, 2026, Anna Vladimir Ohanyan filed a claim with the First Instance Court of General Jurisdiction of Civil Matters of Yerevan, Armenia, against the Football Federation of Armenia, seeking to have the FFA Executive Committee’s decision of June 27, 2026, approving the Regulations for FFA Professional Football Competitions (2026–2027 Season), declared invalid.

Along with her claim, Ohanyan submitted a request for interim relief, asking the court to prohibit the FFA from applying the Regulations for FFA Professional Football Competitions (2026–2027 Season).

In effect, just days after the start of the Armenian Premier League season, a member of the FFA Executive Committee filed a claim seeking to prevent the FFA from organizing the competition, since competitions cannot be held without the relevant regulations. The regulations constitute the principal legal document governing the organization and conduct of the championship, as well as the rights and obligations of the parties participating in it.

On July 29, 2026, when admitting the claim for proceedings, the court reasonably rejected the request to prohibit the application of the Regulations.

Following the rejection of that request, on August 3, 2026, Noah FC joined the same proceedings as a third party asserting independent claims concerning the subject matter of the dispute. The club filed a claim seeking the same remedy: a declaration that the decision approving the Regulations for FFA Professional Football Competitions was invalid.

This time, Noah FC also requested interim relief, asking the court to prohibit the FFA from applying Clause 20.03 of the disputed Regulations.

As noted above, Clause 20.03 concerns the restriction on the number of foreign players in the Armenian championship. Under this provision, clubs may register a maximum of 15 foreign players for the season, with the first and second teams counted together.

On August 12, the court admitted Noah FC’s claim for proceedings and granted its request for interim relief.

On August 13, enforcement proceedings were initiated, and the FFA was prohibited from applying Clause 20.03 of the Regulations. The FFA received the relevant decision on August 14, 2026, and only then became aware of the proceedings that had taken place.

It should be noted that, under Armenian civil procedure legislation, where a request for interim relief is submitted together with a statement of claim, the defendant is notified of the court proceedings only after the decision issued on the interim relief request has been enforced.

Upon learning of the enforcement proceedings, the FFA began taking steps to protect its rights.

It is also noteworthy that, on September 3, FC Urartu was joined to the case as a third party without independent claims concerning the subject matter of the dispute.

On September 4, the FFA filed a motion with the court seeking to have the interim measure lifted.

On September 8, FC Urartu submitted a similar motion to lift the interim measure, expressing agreement with the position presented by the FFA. The club also requested that the interim measure be lifted and the proceedings be terminated.

On September 30, the court issued rulings rejecting the motions to lift the interim measure.

On September 4, the FFA had also filed a motion requesting that the claims be left without consideration. The motion was heard on October 7, 2026.

In its motion, the FFA argued that Anna Ohanyan, as a member of the FFA Executive Committee, and Noah FC, as an FFA member, had both agreed to an arbitration clause under the FFA Statutes and, respectively, when submitting her candidacy for the Executive Committee and applying for FFA membership.

Under this arbitration agreement, all disputes arising are subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), based in Lausanne, Switzerland.

In conclusion, by two decisions issued on October 22, 2026, the court left without consideration the claims filed by both Anna Ohanyan and Noah FC. In addition, the court lifted the interim measures prohibiting the application of Clause 20.03 of the Regulations for FFA Professional Football Competitions.

The above decisions enter into force within seven days of their publication.