Emil Vartazarian is an

Armenian-Iranian Iranian-Armenians ( hy, իրանահայեր ''iranahayer''), also known as Persian-Armenians ( hy, պարսկահայեր ''parskahayer''), are Iranians of Armenian ethnicity who may speak Armenian as their first language. Estimates of thei ...

retired

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

and

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player who played in the

India national rugby union team India national rugby union team is a national team that represents India in the international rugby championships and matches. It is governed by Rugby India organization which is recognised by Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of government o ...

from 1998 to 2006. He has also played professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

for

Bengal Mumbai FC Bengal Mumbai Football Club, known by its abbreviation BMFC, was an Indian professional football club based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Founded in 1998, they have competed in the National Football League II, alongside the MDFA Elite League. It i ...

in the Mumbai Super Division League alongside Mohammedan Sporting in the

Calcutta Football League The Calcutta Football League (CFL) is a ladder-based football competition in the Indian state of West Bengal, organised by Indian Football Association (WB), under state football leagues in India. Due to sponsorship reasons, the league is off ...

Club career

Vartazarian came here from

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

in 1987 when he was 10, as many Armenians do. They come to study at the

Armenian College (Kolkata) Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy (ACPA) is an Armenian school in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), India. , it is the sole Armenian-centred school in the eastern section of the world, and has been so throughout its history. It is commonly k ...

and Philanthropic Academy of Calcutta. Besides Rugby, Vartazarian was also good enough in

and played for Jamshid Nassiri managed

in the MDFA Elite League from 2003 to 2004. He previously played for Kolkata-based Mohammedan Sporting in 2001–02 season, after graduating in film studies from

St. Xavier's College A multitude of schools and universities have been named after St. Francis Xavier, a Spanish Roman Catholic saint and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. This page lists notable educational institutions named after St. Xavier, arranged by country a ...

Coaching career

*Technical Director: Tamil Nadu rugby team (2008) *Head Coach : Iran national rugby union team (2007)

Achievements

Vartazarian played rugby for his college team from 1991 until 1995. Vartazarian had to stop as the college team did not have a team for school students one year under the age of 19. As a result of this he started to play for the Armenian Soccer Club from 1993 to 2001. The last time, during representing his prestigious Armenian team, Vartazarian was a part of the squad that won the All India Beach 7 a-side rugby in Chennai, in 2001. He was a regular member in the Indian national rugby team which was established in 1998.

Managerial career

By profession, Vartazarian was the Technical Director for the South Indian Rugby Football Association (SIRFA). In addition to this, he was also a key player in the Chennai state team (Chennai Cheetahs) and coach of both the Chennai team and the Tamil Nadu Police state team. He was also the assistant coach for the Indian under-19 Rugby team. With him as a player and coach, the Chennai Cheetahs won the All-Indian Beach Seven a side tournament in Chennai in 2003, went up to the semi-finals in the all India tournament in 2002 as well as 2003, won the National Cup in 2004, lost the finals in 2005 and once again brought home the cup in 2006. They have also won the South India 'Ten a side' tournament in 2007 and 'All India Sevens' in 2005. Vartazarian also managed the first Iranian national team, leading them to victory against Pakistan in a series of two test matches in 2007.

Personal life

Vartazarian has a degree in Film Studies from St. Xaviers College, Kolkata. Charismatic, good looking and superbly fit, he has appeared in commercials for Seven Up, Park Avenue and some energy drinks. His hobbies include rigorous gym work outs and cooking for his family and friends. He has interests in cinema and starting an ethnic Iranian-Indian cuisine restaurant. Vartazarian has also completed a Master's course in Sports Management in Australia, and currently resides in Melbourne, Victoria.

References

External links

Rugby_gallery (Emil Vartazarian)
at BBC (UK)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vartazarian, Emil Living people 1976 births Iranian people of Armenian descent Rugby union coaches Iranian rugby union players Indian rugby union players St. Xavier's College, Kolkata alumni University of Calcutta alumni Mohammedan SC (Kolkata) players Armenian men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in India National Football League (India) players Iranian expatriate sportspeople in India Armenian expatriate sportspeople in India Armenian expatriate men's footballers Calcutta Football League players Mumbai Football League players Indian people of Armenian descent Bengal Mumbai FC players Men's association football players not categorized by position Sportspeople of Iranian descent Sportspeople from Tehran