Some Armenian TV and radio broadcasters were denied accreditation for the World Cup Qualification match between Armenia and Italy, held on October 14 in Yerevan.
YPC asked clarifications from the Football Federation of Armenia (FFA). FFA President Adviser Arayik Manukian noted that the procedure of accreditation was approved taking into account the requirements of FIFA and UEFA, as well as the limited availability of space for media representatives at stadium. According to Arayik Manukian, the accreditation is administered in line with the priorities defined by the procedure. These priorities stress that radio and TV companies shall be accredited the last of all. At the same time, the volume of the broadcaster’s audience shall be taken into account, said the FFA President Adviser.
Two national TV channels, “Yerkir Media” and “Kentron”, were among the ones, which were not accredited for the October 14 football match. The TV channels provided comments regarding the denial on their air.
On October 11, in its news program “Yerkirn Aysor”, “Yerkir Media” apologized to its viewers for not being able to fully cover the upcoming Armenia-Italy football match. “The Football Federation brought different arguments, including the requirements of FIFA and UEFA, its accreditation procedure, which we do not contest,” announced “Yerkir Media”. However, the TV channel stressed that it has been covering all the football events for many years and expressed its bewilderment over the denial of accreditation for one of the most important sport events of the season.
On October 10, in its news program “Epikentron”, “Kentron” informed that when it requested the Football Federation to explain the reasons for the denial of accreditation, FFA answered: “We want it this way.” In a story about the upcoming match, “Kentron” showed the webpage with the accreditation procedure and cited the clause, which noted that the Football Federation is not bound to provide explanations for the denial of accreditation. “Kentron” also highlighted that the FFA’s accreditation priorities place TV and radio companies among the last ones.
YPC Comment: Meanwhile, one can hardly believe that the country’s largest stadium, “Hrazdan”, is so “small” that there was no space available for accrediting the two national broadcasters.
