Western Armenia national football team
Unofficial national football team representing the region of Western Armenia
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The Western Armenia national football team (Armenian: Արեւմտյան Հայաստանի Ֆուտբոլի ազգային հավաքական, romanized: Arevmtyan Hayastani futbol azgayin havak'akan) is a football team representing the Armenians primarily from the historical region of Western Armenia, which is currently within the borders of Turkey.
Լեռնաշխարհը
| ||
| Nickname(s) | The Highlanders[1] Լեռնաշխարհը | |
|---|---|---|
| Association | Football Federation of Western Armenia | |
| Confederation | Confederation of Independent Football Associations | |
| Head coach | Harutyun Vardanyan | |
| Top scorer | David Ghandilyan (5) | |
| FIFA code | n/a | |
| ||
| First international | ||
 Western Armenia 12–0 Chagos Islands  (Sukhumi, Georgia; 30 May, 2016) | ||
| Biggest win | ||
| Western Armenia 12–0 Chagos Islands (Sukhumi, Georgia; 30 May, 2016) | ||
| Biggest defeat | ||
 Cascadia 4–0 Western Armenia (Hayes Lane, England; 7 June, 2018) | ||
| ConIFA World Football Cup | ||
| Appearances | 2 (first in 2016) | |
| Best result | Quarter-finals (2016, 2018) | |
History
The governing body, the Football Federation of Western Armenia, was formed in 2015 and joined the Confederation of Independent Football Associations (ConIFA) on 1 June of that year.[2] The team's first ever game was played on 6 January 2016, when a Western Armenia XI played against Olympique de Marseille (CFA), the reserve team of the leading French football club.[3] Vahagn Militosyan scored both goals in a 3–2 defeat.[4]
10 days after the team's first ever game, Western Armenia was selected at ConIFA's 3rd AGM to be one of the 12 participants in the 2016 ConIFA World Football Cup, to be held in Abkhazia in May and June.[5] In the draw for the competition, the team was selected in Group A alongside the hosts and the Chagos Islands.[6] Western Armenia's first full international, against the Chagos Islands, ended with the team inflicting a record 12–0 defeat on the Chagossians,[7] before going down to a 1–0 defeat against Abkhazia in the final group game.[8] This though was enough for the team to qualify for the quarter-finals where they played the Panjab football team.
International matches
| 30 May 2016 ConIFA WFC Group A | Chagos Islands | 0–12 | Western Armenia | Dinamo Stadium, Sukhumi |
| 20:00 GET | Report |  3', 20', 30', 34', 45', 53' David Ghandilyan 55' Tamaz Avolian 58', 81' Armen Kapikiyan 64' Ruslan Trapizoyan 69' Vahagn Militosyan 73' Hiraç Yagan |
| 31 May 2016 ConIFA WFC Group A | Abkhazia  | 1–0 | Western Armenia | Dinamo Stadium, Sukhumi |
| 20:00 GET | Dmitri Kortava 9' |
| 2 June 2016 ConIFA WFC Quarter-Final | Western Armenia | 2–3 |  Panjab | Dinamo Stadium, Sukhumi |
| 20:00 GET | Tamaz Avolian 67' Raffi Kaya 79' |
Amar Purewal 2', 36', 44' |
| 3 June 2016 ConIFA WFC Placement R. 1 | Kurdistan Region  | 0–0 (5–6 p) | Western Armenia | Dinamo Stadium, Sukhumi |
| 20:00 GET | ||||
| Penalties | ||||
Miran Khesro  Farhan Shakor Hunar Ahmad  Farhang Wriya Diyar Rahman Aras Mustafa Znar Faizi (?) |
Hiraç Yagan Raffi Kaya Tamaz Avolian Loris Berberian Jules Tepelian Herant Yagan Denis Oz |
|||
| 4 June 2016 ConIFA WFC Placement R. 2 | Sápmi  | 3–0 | Western Armenia | Daur Akhvlediani Stadium, Gagra |
| 15:00 GET |
| 31 May 2018 ConIFA WFC Group D | United Koreans in Japan  | 0–0 | Western Armenia | Colston Avenue, Carshalton |
| 12:00 BST | Report | Referee: Fehim Dayı |
| 2 June 2018 ConIFA WFC Group D | Panjab | 0–1 | Western Armenia | Arbour Park, Slough |
| 17:00 BST | Report | Militosyan 14' |
Referee: Kristian Michel |
| 3 June 2018 ConIFA WFC Group D | Western Armenia | 4–0 |  Kabylia | Queen Elizabeth II Stadium, Enfield |
| 18:00 BST | Mosoyan 23' Valenza-Berberian 61', 87'Militosyan 89' |
Report | Referee: Massimo Amitrano |
| 5 June 2018 ConIFA WFC Quarter-Final | Western Armenia | 0–4 |  Székely Land | Hayes Lane, Bromley |
| 18:00 BST | Report | Tankó 36' Csizmadia 61'L. Fülöp 65'Bajkó 86' |
Referee: Givi Todua |
| 7 June 2018 ConIFA WFC Placement R. 2 | Cascadia | 4–0 | Western Armenia | Hayes Lane, Bromley |
| 15:00 BST | Ferguson 24', 62' Oldham 54'Farkas 79' |
Report | Referee: Ivan Mrkalj |
| 9 June 2018 ConIFA WFC Placement R. 3 | Barawa  | 0–7 | Western Armenia | Coles Park, Haringey |
| 15:00 BST | Report | N. Hovsepyan D. Hovsepyan Yedigaryan Guzel Varjabetyan Militosyan Mosoyan |
Referee: Leon Dastych |
| 2 June 2019 ConIFA EFC Group B | Western Armenia | 1-2 |  South Ossetia | Avakyan Arena, Martuni |
| 18:00 | Aslanyan 79' |
[citation needed] | Gurtsiev 29', 56' |
Attendance: 1,080 Referee: Ahmed Sabah Radha Ahmed |
| 3 June 2019 ConIFA EFC Group B | Székely Land | 0-5 | Western Armenia | Askeran City Stadium, Askeran |
| 16:00 | Report | Badoyan 20' Hovsepyan 52' (pen.)Bakalyan 70'Minasyan 81'Aslanyan 90+1' |
Attendance: 500 Referee: Arkadi Akobyan |
| 4 June 2019 ConIFA EFC Group B | Padania  | 1-1 | Western Armenia | Stepanakert Republican Stadium, Stepanakert |
| 20:00 | Colombo 69' |
Report | Yedigaryan 67' |
Attendance: 6,000 Referee: Ahmed Sabah Radha Ahmed |
| 6 June 2019 ConIFA EFC Semi-Final | Abkhazia | 1–1 (0–3 p) | Western Armenia | Stepanakert Republican Stadium, Stepanakert |
| 18:30 | Khugayev 10' |
[citation needed] | Manoyan 32' (pen.) |
Attendance: 7,000 Referee: Ivan Mrkalj |
| 9 June 2019 ConIFA EFC Final | Western Armenia | 0-1 | South Ossetia | Stepanakert Republican Stadium, Stepanakert |
| 18:00 | Bazayev 65' |
Attendance: 12,000 Referee: Dmitrii Zhukov, Vitalii Mazin, Valerii Kravchenko, Aleksandr Demenko, Ivan Mrkalj |
Current squad
The following players were called up for the 2018 ConIFA World Football Cup.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Gevorg Kasparov | 25 July 1980 (aged 37) | 0 | 0 |  FC Gandzasar Kapan |
| 2 | DF | Arman Mosoyan | 24 April 1990 (aged 28) | 0 | 0 | Unattached |
| 3 | DF | Fabrice Guzel | 9 November 1990 (aged 27) | 5 | 0 |  US Le Pontet |
| 4 | DF | Massis Kaya | 15 September 1990 (aged 27) | 5 | 0 | Unattached |
| 5 | DF | Rafael Safaryan | 30 January 1986 (aged 32) | 0 | 0 | FC Ararat |
| 6 | MF | Gevorg Najaryan | 6 January 1998 (aged 20) | 0 | 0 |  Shakhter Karagandy |
| 7 | MF | Artur Yedigaryan | 26 June 1987 (aged 30) | 0 | 0 |  Proleter Novi Sad |
| 8 | MF | David Azin | 11 January 1990 (aged 28) | 2 | 0 | Unattached |
| 9 | FW | Vahagn Militosyan | 10 June 1993 (aged 24) | 3 | 2 |  FC Nitra |
| 10 | MF | Khoren Veranyan | 4 September 1986 (aged 31) | 0 | 0 | Retired |
| 11 | FW | David Hovsepyan | 15 January 1991 (aged 27) | 3 | 0 | KFC Komárno |
| 12 | GK | Khachatur Hovsepyan | 15 January 1991 (aged 27) | 2 | 0 | FC Ararat |
| 13 | DF | Jules Tepelian | 31 October 1987 (aged 30) | 7 | 0 | UGA Ardzv |
| 14 | DF | Hiraç Yagan | 3 January 1989 (aged 29) | 7 | 1 |  Stade Nyonnais |
| 15 | MF | Zaven Varjabetyan | 12 November 1998 (aged 19) | 1 | 0 |  ESC Rellinghausen |
| 16 | MF | Norik Hovsepyan | 23 December 1998 (aged 19) | 0 | 0 | Shirak SC |
| 17 | DF | Raffi Kaya | 8 June 1994 (aged 23) | 5 | 1 | Lancy |
| 18 | MF | Herant Yagan | 1 October 1994 (aged 23) | 6 | 0 |  FC Suryoye |
| 19 | FW | Levon Kürkciyan | 2 November 1994 (aged 23) | 2 | 0 | 1. FC Kleve |
| 20 | MF | Emmanuel Odemis | 5 July 2000 (aged 17) | 2 | 0 | Stade Nyonnais |
| 21 | FW | Vicken Valenza-Berberian | 21 September 1992 (aged 25) | 1 | 0 | FC Bords-de-Saône |
| 22 | MF | Axel Tashedjian | 9 May 2000 (aged 18) | 1 | 0 | Paris FC |
| 23 | MF | Georgi Minasov | 21 August 1990 (aged 27) | 0 | 0 | Unattached |
Managers
| Manager | Period | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gilbert Catikoglu |
2015–2016 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 16.7 |
| Harutyun Vardanyan |
2018–2019 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 28.6 |
| Totals | 20 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 25 | |
President
| President | Year(s) |
|---|---|
| Hiraç Yagan | 2015–present |
Honours
Non-FIFA competitions
- CONIFA European Football Cup
- Runners-up (1): 2019