[1] On 27 October 2019, Vardanyan was sent off in a 4–2 defeat away to Ararat Yerevan,[2] pushing the referee Henrik Nalbandyan and swearing at the opposition fans in the process.
As a result, on 1 November 2019, Vardanyan was handed a six-month suspension until 30 April 2020.
[4][5] Erik was considered one of the most promising Armenian football talents at the time, and earned call ups to Armenia's senior national team.
Even though his contract with Sochi was technically not active until 2020, he was not eligible to play for Pyunik due to disqualification, and therefore joined Sochi and started training with the squad immediately upon signing.
[6] On 10 July 2021, Pyunik announced the return of Vardanyan to the club on loan from Sochi.