VIDEO: You know better what support has been given to Turkey, not by me, but by you. Kalantaryan to the President of the Football Federation

During a broadcast on public television, sports commentator Eduard Kalantaryan addressed the President of the Football Federation, Armen Melikbekyan, stating that he had recently been a guest on a political show and mentioned that a viewpoint was expressed on public television suggesting that the Football Federation was advising Petrakov not to invite representatives from Pyunik to the national team.

“Armen Melikbekyan, unlike you, I address you personally. I stand by my opinion, and I have the right to express it. Yes, I believe that Hovhannes Harutyunyan should be on the roster of the Armenia national team. I believe that this player possesses the necessary qualities to ensure competition, at least. And to consider this as support for the Turkish national team, I do not know what the peak of ignorance is, but if we are suddenly trying to compete with the Turkish national team or support Turkey in any way, I simply do not wish to engage in that competition because I would face a crushing defeat. I won’t speak of what has happened in the past; you know better what support has been given, not by me, but by you. Therefore, I urge you to respond to my interview invitations. I have always had the opportunity to invite you for an interview, and you have refused every time. I will use this opportunity to say: I have always supported regardless of who the opponent is, especially when the opponent is Turkey. By expressing my opinion and delivering my criticism to you, I certainly do not support our opponents. This has been our work, to which you were also attached at the time, and you know very well the reasons why you ended your commentary career and shifted to other activities. This, however, is not the point of today’s broadcast. But considering all this, I invite you once again for an interview. Let it be an interview; let it be in another format. But it should be live, so there is no opportunity for editing, and at that moment, one-on-one—just you and I—we can talk, answer my questions, and then the public will have a much better understanding of what is happening in Armenian football. As for blaming someone for supporting Turkey from behind, forgive me, but that is a cowardly move because I have never supported Turkey in my life in any way.”