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No other powerful foreign national team visited Lithuania without insulting comments about the state of our state’s stadiums.
The coach of the four-time world champion Italian team, who visited Vilnius this week, also found the name of the bites of the only UEFA third-rate stadium in Vilnius, called it “suburban field”.
Italians knew how to adapt
“This has been going on for more than a decade: the government speaks before the elections, the promises, the important people of the state squirm and in the end we are still in the same divided gelda, they all came and starved,” said Tomas . Danilevičius, president of the Lithuanian Football Federation.
On Wednesday, the Lithuanian soccer team played at home for the first time in the 2022 World Cup qualifying tournament in Qatar, and four times the planet’s Italian champions showed their professionalism at the LFF artificial floor stadium.
Even before the trip to Vilnius, the country’s national team strategist Roberto Mancini assured that the Lithuanian stadium is not safe and completely different from a football mecca due to its coverage.
“We will play in a stadium that looks more like a suburban field. However, we have all grown and competed in similar nooks and crannies, so we will have to adapt in any case,” an Italian specialist told his country’s media.
And the guests adapted: in a match with Lithuanian footballers they managed to score two goals and win 2: 0 even on the artificial surface.
At that time, even the leader of the Lithuanian national team Valdas Urbonas exploded out of embarrassment to receive famous teams in deplorable conditions.
“If we talk about shame, I must say that it is not my shame, it is not the shame of the players or the federation. It is a shame for all of us that we have not been able to do that in so many years … It is difficult to realize that we don’t have a stadium where we can honor any guest.
This is the same as inviting guests and planting it outside on the lawn next to a tree. You see the stadium, but when you walk in and see what happens behind the scenes, you realize that this stadium is not suitable for good and serious matches.
It does not decorate us. Many promised to do something. And Gitanas Nausėda promised to intervene, but the fact is that there is no stadium ”, – the specialist from our country was already angry.
Worse only in the Faroe Islands
David Šember, 42, a veteran forward of the Lithuanian national team and current president of the Vilnius Regional Football Union, said he has only played once in stadiums like the one in Vilnius during his career.
“These are the famous moments when Lithuania lost 1: 2 to the Faroe Islands. The hosts immersed us in a parody of the stadium between the rocks: they threw us to the ground.
As they told me later, the next match would be played by the French team, who sent the video of our match to UEFA, wrote a protest and no one played in that stadium ”, recalled the renowned national footballer.
Mr. Šemberas is convinced that with soccer fields in the country’s municipalities there are already good results, but with a stadium that would represent the country’s soccer, a tragedy.
“Well this LFF stadium is not suitable for national team performances. I can say ugly, but we need some radical solutions. We are happy that the national team is playing, we are pulling on that rubber, we are crashing, but we are getting to a deal with our dire situation.
Perhaps it would be worth beating UEFA itself on its own to simply ban it from playing in the LFF stadium. Perhaps then the government would start to think, because we would be the only country both in Europe and in the world that does not have a normal football stadium.
At least it would be a sound of embarrassment. Such publicity is unlikely to benefit the state. There may be no other way to build a normal stadium, “said D. Šemberas.
Another stadium in Vilnius?
The National Stadium, which has been under construction in the Vilnius Šeškinė district since 1982, continues to convey wishes to future generations of football, offering the already selected team to seek out new venues to fight in international competitions.
According to D. Šemberas, the capital should take the initiative and be obliged to build its own 15,000-seat arena.
A decade ago, the Lithuanian Football Federation had already tried to sell the current LFF stadium for LTL 2.5 million and contribute to the construction of a new stadium with that money.
According to Lrytas.lt, some negotiations on the possible transfer of the LFF stadium are taking place unofficially.
“If the price of a place in the National Stadium a few years ago was about 3,3 thousand. EUR, that is, the spectator seat of the Vilnius stadium would reach more than 2,000 euros after construction. euros.
With the sale of the LFF stadium, the Federation could contribute to the city’s ability to build a sports facility for between 8 and 10 million people. That would be about a third of the total amount needed for the stadium to sprout.
However, it should be clear that the Football Federation is not a construction organization, it is not obliged to build stadiums and its 7-9 million are announced out loud. the euro budget is not a private pocket, so you can lose money to anyone at any time.
I believe that with the permission of FIFA, according to the programs, the LFF could allocate up to one million euros of the funds allocated by the international organization, ”said the head of the Vilnius County Football Federation.
Offer unnecessary help
“Every time a more normal team arrives, they have to swallow such a bitter ‘stadium’ pill,” explained Danilevičius, who has been in contact with the Italian federation leaders for a long time. – When they saw our stadium, they nodded and assured that they understood that now the pandemic, they would have to play in the training field, everyone is doing it now because there are no spectators. But he asked to show our great royal stadium. I said it’s the only one. Then there was no surprise in sight: question marks and complete confusion. “
The president of the Lithuanian Football Federation, Danilevičius, 42, is convinced that due to the deplorable situation in the country’s stadiums, teams from Northern Ireland, Bulgaria and Switzerland will have to turn red during this selection of the world football.
“Perhaps after a year, when the S. Darius and S. Girėnas stadiums are rebuilt and Lithuanian football celebrates its centenary, perhaps then we will free ourselves from the mockery about the stadiums.
But no one knows if that rebuilding will finish in time. But now, through the so-called championship selection windows, in spring, summer and fall, we are preparing for regular pranks, ”said the LFF president.
– When the Portuguese soccer team visited Lithuania, the country’s president, Gitanas Nausėda, also watched the match. He assured that the stadium will be and from it the resurgence of football will begin. Is there any movement behind the words of the head of state? – “Lietuvos rytas” asked T. Danilevičius.
– It is difficult to comment on this whole situation and the words of the manager. Perhaps I have to put it in a nutshell: stomping on the spot. You see where we are. What do we have and what does the general panorama of Lithuanian football consist of.
The Lithuanian Football Federation cannot and does not have the opportunity to participate in the construction of sports infrastructure; the state must.
In Italy, the football federation does not have its own stadiums either, they belong to cities and clubs. And she is in no way responsible for what the government did not do.
In our case, the avalanche of criticism constantly attacks the Lithuanian football organization, although it is not responsible for the whole situation.
– The stadium in the stadium, but even during the Italian press conference at the LFF press center, the light went out twice, not for the first time during the match when a strange electric generator rumbled. How to explain this?
– Sometimes it seems to me that there is a conspiracy before football in Lithuania. In fact, something happens that never happens anywhere (laughs). Lithuanian football is not responsible for the shortcomings of electricity providers. You try to protect yourself, but you don’t always succeed.
– How would you react if Lithuania was prohibited from organizing international competitions at the LFF stadium and had to play abroad?
– It would be a tragedy for national football. Imagine that the national team will play in Poland or, without any politics, in Belarus? Our team would lose their fans, support, motivation.
Worse still, then most A-league clubs, First League teams would have nowhere to play. The LFF stadium accommodates everyone. And that’s not counting the fans.
For example, 1 million are officially registered in Italy. footballers, and in our country, around 30 thousand. So not having a single stadium would affect about a third of our entire soccer community.
– The national stadium will not be built soon. Have you tried talking about alternatives?
– As soon as new people come to power, we speak, please, we coordinate, but everything ends in languages. We have said and are telling more than one government that, if necessary, we have all the necessary momentum.
Due to the stadium’s construction, equipment and projects, both experienced UEFA and FIFA specialists can come together to provide advice. stress free.
It would all be done for free, just to make plans to build stadiums. But that message is still in a waiting phase: No one is in a rush to take advantage of the offer.
