“Ararat-73” – 40 years after: Harutyun Keheyan

YEREVAN, MAY 1, ARMENPRESS: Today among us live people, who were in the legendary team Ararat-73 40 years ago, who believed and were certain that Ararat does not have the right to lose. Harutyun Keheyan as well was among the Ararat players, who remained in Ararat even after the end of his career. For the current director of Hrazdan Stadium Harutyun Keheyan the game of Ararat still continues in Hrazdan Stadium.

"Ararat73" – 40 years after exclusive project of Armenpress continues getting information from the football players of the legendary team.

Harutyun Keheyan tells:

Born in 1930, in Athens. Attacker and midfielder. Honored Master of Sports. Honored coach. Played in the teams of “Dinamo” (1949-50), Moscow “Spartak” (1955), Yerevan “Spartak” (1960-61, later “Ararat”). In the Yerevan teams he played in 87 matches and stroke 9 goals. Participant of USSR Cup 1954 Finals. Honored coach of Armenia. USSR Vice-Champion in 1971. Champion and Cup holder in Yerevan “Ararat” coaching staff. Honored citizen of Yerevan.

- Mr. Keheyan, please, tell how did you come to your motherland and why did you choose football?

- After the war we arrived in Armenia. It was in August of 1946. Since the year of 16 I knew what I am going to become. I graduated from the Yerevan Technical College and I got a diploma, but it was about 60 years ago. Now I do not even remember how some instruments look.

- Why did you leave football so soon?

- Quite an interesting story happened to me. I could play longer, as I was the captain of the team. But as I had an injury, I left football a couple of years earlier. I submitted an application to dismiss me from the team. And an exclusive thing happened in the history of football: with the same decree I was appointed the director of the Republican Stadium. It is a rare fact – I was dismissed from the team, but not from the field. (THE FULL VERSION OF THE INTERVIEW IS AVAILABLE IN ARMENIAN)

The memories of Harutyun Keheyan were gratefully written down by Varvara Hayrapetyan

Photos from Armenpress archive and by Felix Arustamyan