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“The team will have to prepare for another year,” LFF President Tomas Danilevičius said during an impromptu virtual press conference.
Lithuanian soccer players who have never participated in tournaments of this rank, as well as soccer fans, will have to wait another year for the tournament called “the largest sporting event in the history of Independence” by the leaders of LFF.
It was decided to postpone the championship for exactly one year; It was supposed to take place in 2020. In the fall, it will now take place in 2021. September 12 – October 3. The only change is a one day reduction in the duration of the tournament.
FIFA was considering holding the championship earlier, next December or 2021. in June, but the LFF has spoken to them since.
In these cases, the world championship in Lithuania would have faced different threats: in winter you would probably have to fight for arenas with the country’s basketball clubs playing in international tournaments and in summer with other major sporting events.
Sigismund Gedvila / 15min photo / Presentation of the emblem of the World Hall Football Championship
“During the sports season, especially in the case of basketball, starting in October, when international tournaments begin, we would not have the opportunity to organize a tournament in three major cities in Lithuania.” There would be a large load of sand, so there was no possibility of organizing a championship in December, when there are also two weeks in the Euroleague. That would be too complicated, – explained LFF Secretary General Edgaras Stankevičius. – The option of holding the championship in June was considered, but then the Olympic basketball national team tournament should take place in Lithuania, the European Football Championship will also start and the Olympic Games will start in July. It would not be appropriate to invite people to the arenas during the summer, so the best decision has been made. “
According to the LFF chief, the option of holding a tournament without spectators this fall has not even been considered.
“We did not consider it because we wanted all of Lithuania to have the opportunity to see the championship.” In addition, we expect a large influx of tourists, especially from those countries whose fans are traveling. We really did not consider organizing a tournament without spectators, because we want to make this event exceptional so that people from Lithuania and all of Europe can see it live on the arenas, ”explained E. Stankevičius.
Option to postpone the championship until 2021. In the fall, the LFF was also suitable for an elementary reason, an additional year of preparation, especially for infrastructure.
We have another year to prepare.
“We have another year to prepare,” said the federation’s secretary general. – During this period, the situation will change: some training bases will be renewed and organized, which will allow for a better image in the general context. The Kretinga gym should be ready next year, so we can train there. Some hallways will not be used during that time, some neat.
And from an organizational point of view, we would be ready for this September. The organizing committee is working, the work is not interrupted and a conversation with the FIFA tournament directors is waiting for us in the near future: we will discuss all areas and how we will continue to organize the work. “
Neither E. Stankevičius nor LFF President T. Danilevičius can yet say how much the decision to postpone the world championship will cost. According to them, infrastructure costs may even fall, but they have not yet dared to predict more accurate numbers.
“We will talk to FIFA about increasing or decreasing certain costs. In terms of infrastructure, our situation is a little different: some rooms have been renovated this year, but if new sports facilities appear, it is natural that they do not need maintenance. As a result, some (cost) lines may go down. But it’s too early to talk about what will go up and down, “said E. Stankevičius.
Photo by Rokas Lukoševičius / 15min / Edgaras Stankevičius
The LFF chiefs will need to re-book the Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipėda sands, which will be necessary to prepare for the planet’s priorities.
They will still send letters today with the latest information to the arena managers and municipalities where the championships or team training will take place, and they hope to continue the live conversations as soon as the quarantine ends.
“Tripartite contracts have been signed with the arenas, which clearly establish that the championship will take place in 2020. We will have to sign new agreements or annexes to the old agreements with the arenas, in which we will name more specific dates,” explained T. Danilevičius.
LFF will not only have additional concerns. FIFA, which is responsible for hotel reservations for the championship participants, will have to renegotiate the accommodation conditions for the teams.
“As far as hotel reservations are concerned, this is a large and significant amount. But the accommodation of teams and delegates is provided by FIFA and signs contracts with hotels. We do not participate in it, unless we contribute to organizational problems “said E. Stankevičius.
LFF will have to deal not only with the organizational problems of the tournament, but also with the future of Lithuanian national team head coach Jevgenijus Ryvkin.
Sigismund Gedvila / 15min photo / Jevgenijus Ryvkinas
A contract was signed with a specialist from Ukraine until 2020. End of October, but postponing global priorities will try to extend cooperation.
“In the near future, when the national team coach postpones the coaching program, we will discuss the new contract and its extension until October of next year,” said Edgaras Stankevičius.
When the coach of the national team transfers the preparation program, we will talk about a new contract.
The question of postponing the championship was also important in ending the qualifying battles. So far, only 13 of the 24 seats have been filled, and at least a few dozen futsal teams have not given up hope of going to Lithuania next year.
It is still unclear how and when detection battles will spread: the coronavirus pandemic and quarantine must end first.
“It just caught our eye then. Currently, 13 teams have places in the tournament, including host Lithuania. Confederations on some continents have not yet finished their playoffs, so they will have to decide for themselves how to do it and complete the selection. for the World Cup. There are no solutions right now because we have to wait for the quarantine to end, “said T. Danilevičius.
Photo by Julius Kalinskas / 15min / Tomas Danilevičius
LFF leaders are not afraid that the situation will not improve and after a year and priorities will eventually have to be kept in empty arenas?
“It just came to our attention then. A second outbreak is expected in the fall, so we will monitor the situation and work. It is difficult to predict what will happen this fall, how the Lithuanian people will react to events and sports from the consumer side. And what will happen in a year and how this can affect the flow of tourists … Naturally, it will decrease a little, but we cannot predict the changes in consumer habits that will occur now, perhaps they will miss it and want to travel? E. Stankevičius.
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