Zalgiris in no mood to celebrate
Wednesday, November 6, 2002
Article summary
A major crisis has taken the edge off FK Zalgiris Vilnius's 55th anniversary celebrations.
Article body
By Kestutis Gimbutas & Pavle Gognidze
The mood surrounding FK Zalgiris Vilnius's 55th anniversary celebrations this season were distinctly sombre. The club finished outside the top three in Lithuania's top flight for the first time in their history, but a much deeper crisis threatens their existence.
Financial unrest
Zalgiris were in contention for third place for most of the season until financial problems struck. The crisis deepened in October as players first refused to train and then to travel to face champions-elect FBK Kaunas in a protest over unpaid wages. While the club claimed that a bus breakdown was behind their no-show against Kaunas, the Lithuanian Football Federation (LFF) was unimpressed, hitting Zalgiris with a 3-0 technical defeat as a punishment.
Boycott threat
The players continued their action, threatening to boycott the next league game as well, a move which would have resulted in Lithuania's most acclaimed club being thrown out of the league. President Janusas Loputis managed to persuade some of the players to finish the nightmare season, but the problems have persisted.
Unpaid wages
Unpaid wages are an all too common problem for players at many clubs in the Baltic states, and though Zalgiris players had legitimate cause for concern, the president was unforgiving towards the three players he believed had orchestrated the strike action.
Players dismissed
In mid-October, Loputis announced that captain and star player Giedrius Barevicius, who had scored 13 goals this season, and Belarussian pair Aleksandr Davidovich and Eugeni Zhuk, were to be dismissed. "We are not the only ones who have financial problems, but nobody else goes on strike," said Loputis.
No punishment
The LFF did not punish Zalgiris for failing to pay wages as they had not received any official complaints from the players, but the players themselves left little doubt that all was not well at the club. "I have wanted to leave Zalgiris for a long time now," said Barevicius. "In this club, nobody cares about players, they are mistreated all the time. We were payed outrageous amounts of money, about 700 litas [€200] a month, but in the end we did not get even that. And forget about bonuses."
Dreadful run
It is not only financial affairs that have tarnished the image of the club, to add to the damage a three-and-a-half-month run without a win scuppered any hopes of competing with Kaunas for the title. Indeed, they are now over 30 points behind the league leaders.
Managerial turmoil
A players' strike in August saw the coaching duo of Kestutis Latoza and Romualdas Lavrinavicius depart to be replaced by Eugenijus Riabovas, but even the coach that had led Zalgiris to so much success in the past could not raise the gloom.
Mass departures
With 80 players having left the club since 1995, including FC Porto striker Edgaras Jankauskas, Loputis is tired of being made to justify his policies. "We need money every day, so we had to act this way," he said.
New buyer
Now the president, who saved the club from financial collapse in 1995, has openly admitted he is looking for a buyer for the club. There have been talks with a few interested investors, and construction company Ranga IV now believe they are close to a takeover.
Famous past
Zalgiris will certainly be looking for an upturn in fortunes should they secure new ownership. For a club that played in the Soviet Supreme League, nurtured two Olympic champions and won four titles in independent Lithuania, another unhappy birthday is not an option.