On 15 January 2018, the UFF Executive Committee decided to ban Samvel Babayan from any football activities.

UFF said that Babayan illegally made changes to contracts of players during his work at Pakhtakor. The Federation claimed that Babayan changed duration of contracts of players from 2018 to 2017 after he received information on change in management of the club.

The statement said that he intended to sell players to foreign clubs at the end of the season as they become free agents.

UFF also criticized the activities of Babayan as head coach of the Uzbekistan national football team.

When selecting players for the team, Samvel Babayan relied on familiar football players, and also ignored the opinions and recommendations of experienced coaches and experts. He also failed to control discipline of player and their fitness during the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

UFF stated that the federation will review the activities of each football coach and take appropriate measures.