Armenia’s soccer boss has called for consolidation around the first “homegrown” Armenian coach in nearly a decade as he introduced the recent appointee late last week.

Armenian Football Federation (FFA) President Ruben Hayrapetyan denied that the decision to let caretaker coach Vardan Minasyan to stay at the helm of the team as head coach till the end of the Euro-2012 qualifying campaign was connected with the FFA’s financial difficulties.

“During the eight years that I’ve been in the position of the FFA president I’ve been saying that Armenia has no coach to be able to head the national team. But now there has emerged a specialist who is up to the job. Vardan Minasyan has managed to prove to me that he is a serious coach,” said Hayrapetyan, adding that if successful, Minasyan could stay at the national team’s helm beyond the term in his current contract. (www.ffa.am)

“The first Armenian [rather than foreign] coach in the last eight years has been appointed. And I would like everyone to help the team and contribute to its successful performance,” he added, speaking at a press conference on Friday.

Minasyan took over after Denmark’s Jan Poulsen was fired in early 2008 and acted as Armenia’s caretaker coach since April last year. The FFA formally announced Minasyan’s appointment as head coach in early February. Armenia had only foreign coaches since 2002. All of Minasyan’s six foreign predecessors, except Ian Porterfield (2006-2007), were fired by the federation over the team’s poor performance record. The team achieved its arguably best record and form under the Scotsman, who, however, died of cancer in September 2007.

Minasyan, who will combine his national coach duties with FC Pyunik management, is facing a difficult task of improving the nation’s record in official games. (So far under his management Armenia scored only one victory, while losing in five games). At the meeting on Friday Minasyan said he will seek to increase competition within the squad for the starting lineup and thus try to achieve a higher quality of play and better results.

Armenia’s rivals in Group B of Euro-2012 qualification are Russia, Slovakia, the Republic of Ireland, FYR Macedonia and Andorra. The tournament starts in September.