bɪkˈʌz tˈiːm kˈæptɪn ˈiːɡoːɹ nˈɛɾoʊ wʌz ʌnˈeɪbəl tə plˈeɪ dˈuː tʊ ˈɪndʒɚɹi fɔːɹ mˈoʊst əv ðə wˈɜːld kˈʌp, sɪmˈɑːnjən wʌz nˈeɪmd kˈæptɪn ʌvðə tˈiːm ɪn hɪz plˈeɪs.
Because Team Captain Igor Netto was unable to play due to injury for most of the World Cup, Simonyan was named Captain of the team in his place.