Your three points scored by the club in sixteen rounds of the Toplyga continue to be painfully scorched by the flames of financial problems, and this amount seems to only briefly slow the smoke.
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15min already wrote that last week the owner of “Riteriai” was given an ultimatum by LFF president Edgaras Stankevičius and the Executive Committee – to eliminate the 30 thousand euro obligations to footballers and coaches, which the club owes for February, within a few days.
By the end of the week, the club managed to transfer money to only four footballers, paid for the stadium and ambulance services, but on Monday the money slowly began to flow into the accounts of other players and coaches as well.
According to 15min, by Tuesday morning almost all players had been paid for February. Also, some footballers were transferred an additional 150 euros for March.
What do these amounts change?
It seems little. Although C.Konadu showed commendable initiative, this financial injection is unlikely to help disconnect the club from the artificial respirator.
The life of one of the most prominent Vilnius football projects of the last decade still hangs by a thread, and this story has become even gloomier after the weekend events when the “Riteriai B” team did not travel to the LFF II league match in Šilutė.
This has happened to the club for the second time this season, and soon the club will be removed from the third tier of the country’s football hierarchy.
“The Disciplinary Committee will decide and analyze this situation on Wednesday or Thursday and make a decision, but it is already clear that there is little room for interpretation here – the team violated the rules twice and will be removed from the championship,” LFF president E.Stankevičius assured 15min.
When asked if, in such a case, without a B team, the main “Riteriai” squad could continue the season in Toplyga, the LFF leader assured that theoretically such a prospect is possible.
“Such an option would only be possible if the Executive Committee granted an exception and allowed the club to compete without a license, but at this moment there are no discussions about this,” said E.Stankevičius.
According to him, the key date in this story will be June 15. By this date and the opening transfer window, the owners of “Riteriai” must fully settle with players and coaches.
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At that time, debts will amount to about 150 thousand euros.
“If the club proves it can finish the season, we will not hinder it, but we will not artificially try to make ‘Riteriai’ play those 18 matches after which their results would not be annulled. Now everything depends on the club owner – pays off debts, proves that he could finish the season, that his intentions here are serious… Only in that case could we consider something. It seems he has such intentions – the cash flows are slow but moving,” said the LFF president.
On Wednesday, E.Stankevičius intends to talk once again with C.Konadu.
“Currently, Clancy is not in Lithuania, so on Wednesday we will have a remote conversation in which the whole situation and our further actions will be explained to him. From the LFF perspective, nothing changes – our view remains the same. June 15 will be a critical day – by then all obligations and debts must be covered. Only in this way can the club hope to continue the season,” E.Stankevičius spoke firmly.
The president of the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), Arūnas Klimavičius, is also closely monitoring the situation at the capital’s club.
The Panevėžys native, who himself wore the “Riteriai” jersey in the past, is convinced that the transfer of 30 thousand euros to C.Konadu was not a fundamental turning point. According to him, it would be wrong to think that the club, remaining in debt to players and coaches for less than two salaries, is insured against possible player departures.
“It is likely that this week 1–2 more players will terminate their contracts with the club. We are talking about those foreigners who arrived a little later,” A.Klimavičius told 15min.
According to him, both the size of the debts and the chaotic way they are being paid cause concern.
“I am surprised that the money is paid very chaotically and it is even difficult to understand according to what logic and order. Some players have not yet received payment for February, others have already managed to get some for March. There are also those to whom the accounting promises, but the money has not yet reached the accounts. The players themselves do not understand how, to whom, and how the money is calculated. But even after transferring money for February, they would immediately fall behind the schedule again,” the PFA leader pondered.
According to A.Klimavičius, the PFA has no shortage of work in this story. The organization has to help players who want to defend their rights and seek ways to terminate contracts with a club that fails to meet financial obligations.
“I have never had to send such a pile of documents at once and deal with so many different but at the same time similar situations. The challenge is really big, it costs a lot, but we manage,” A.Klimavičius said. “The most interesting thing is that at first, players who sent letters received an automatic reply from the club’s mailbox that the letter did not reach the recipient. But for the players themselves, this is a minor problem because such nuances are indicated in the contracts – it is noted to which address letters should be sent if similar situations arise. In this way, the club does not escape responsibility.”
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