Vardan Minasyan - Managerial Career

Managerial Career

Minasyan began his coaching career as head coach of the Armenia U-21 youth national team in August 2004. He resigned in 2005, and a year later became assistant coach at the club for which he spent the last years of his life as a football player, Pyunik Yerevan. He also worked as assistant coach for head coach Ian Porterfield, along with Englishman Tom Jones, for the Armenia national football team. In September 2007, Porterfield died. Minasyan and Jones became the acting head coach and assistant coach, respectively, before the end of the year. In early 2008, the new head coach, Danish specialist Jan Poulsen, was invited and Minasyan went back to his position as assistant head coach. In March next year, Poulsen was fired because of poor results and Minasyan again temporarily (at the time) became the head coach. Minasyan learned much about managing from Samvel Darbinyan and Ian Porterfield.

In June 2008, Minasyan was replaced as head coach of Pyunik by Armen Gyulbudagyants after a defeat against Gandzasar Kapan. Throughout the season, he led the club to victory over Ararat Yerevan for the 2008 Armenian Premier League title. In 2009, Pyunik once again won the Armenian Premier League, defeating Mika Yerevan in the 2009 Armenian Premier League finals. At a ceremony on December 22, Vardan was awarded a special prize by the organization Telecom, naming him the best coach of Armenia for 2009.

On February 10, after the draw for the qualifying round teams of the UEFA Euro 2012, by order of the President of the Football Federation of Armenia Ruben Hayrapetyan, Minasyan will continue to lead the Armenian national squad, only now as the official head coach.

With Minasyan as coach, Pyunik won the Armenian Premier League in 2008, 2009 and 2010, the Armenian Cup in 2009 and 2010 and the Armenian Supercup in 2010 and 2011. Also, at the end of the year, the national team, led by Minasyan, performed better in comparison with the previous matches. For good performances and matches won awards given by the Football Federation of Armenia, Minasyan made the list for the best coach of the season. In the final result for the best coach of the season, Minasyan unanimously won first place.

In the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying matches, Minasyan led Armenia to several upset victories over Slovakia, Macedonia and Andorra and a tie against Russia. The team almost made the final draw, but controversially lost in a decisive match against Ireland 1-2. Armenian goalkeeper Roman Berezovsky was given a red card a few minutes after the game began for touching the ball, even though he didn't and Ireland striker Simon Cox in fact did, as he would later admit. Berezovsky was switched with 19-year-old debuting Arsen Petrosyan. Valeri Aleksanyan later accidentally scored an own goal on Petrosyan, which ended up deciding the match. The Football Federation of Armenia unsuccessfully filed protest over the match. Despite not getting to play in the Euro 2012, Minasyan brought the Armenian national team to a record #41 FIFA ranking and placed the team in third place in the group stage. Minasyan stated he is proud of the entire team. They were all welcomed in in the airport back in Armenia as heroes.

In November, Minasyan as head coach of Pyunik, succeeded Suren Chakhalyan Minassian and was also appointed Technical Director of the club. Chakhalyan, in turn, after spending a year in the position, was fired on September 8, 2012 from his post for violating athletic discipline. On the same day, the club officially announced the temporary appointment to the post of Vardan Minasyan.