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And Now For Something Completely Different – Soccer II.

The World Cup is becoming more intense and tension is mounting around the FAR offices as we move through second round games. With the US knocked out, new favorites are emerging and many “I told you so” comments are flying around. My choice team is gone in a not-so-stylish fashion (no one really expected the US to go far anyway, right?) so I’m turning my attention to some of the better-known teams.


FAR’s Yerevan Medical Projects Coordinator, Hambartsum Simonyan, is pulling for Argentina and its “…football legend coach Diego Armando Maradona.” Who can blame him? With players like the renowned Lionel Messi and stunning victories in the first round, Argentina is a safe bet. Plus, Maradona is always fun to keep around…it was reported that he requested a toilet seat worth thousands of dollars and 20 different food choices at each meal. Let’s hope the Argentinean performance on field is on par with their ridiculous demands in South Africa .


And Hambartsum knows what he is talking about! He was a lot closer to the sport than many of us could hope to be. Growing up in Armenia, Hambartsum had a passion for the sport commonly referred to as football (we Americans are a little out of the loop on that term). He was faced with a tough decision later in life that forced him to choose between becoming a doctor or a professional soccer player. If his title with FAR is any clue, Hambartsum chose the career path of a doctor. Though he’s pleased with his decision today, he proudly proclaims, “…football is my favorite hobby!”


It’s safe to say that Hambartsum and I will be rooting for Argentina.

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