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On Wednesday, both he and the general secretary of the Lithuanian Basketball Federation, Mindaugas Špokas, together with the president of the LKL, Remigijus Milašas, participated in a remote meeting of the Seimas Economic Committee, where he announced that the club was delayed in the payment of salaries to their players. According to the club director, the financial situation is currently bad.
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“We do not receive ticket revenue. Support from sponsors is also decreasing as winnings fall for everyone, we are trying not to lose them, it is a lucky thing. Basically the situation is such that we are late with player salaries.
If we do not receive compensation, the debts will drag on and we will think about how to pay them off in future seasons.
The situation is really sad. We would not be asking for compensation if there were spectators, but now there is no fishing rod with which we can make money. That is why we ask for help. Thank you for listening, “said P. Motiejūnas at the meeting.
In the fall of last year, the director of Žalgiris said that it was planned to collect around 2.6 million tickets. euros. However, due to the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, supporters gathered for the Euroleague battles only three times: 5,000 teams were allowed to participate with the Anadolu Efes and Valencia teams from Istanbul. and only 260 with Real Madrid.
LKL director Remigijus Milašius provided figures that due to the pandemic, the league and 10 clubs suffered around 13 million. loss of euros.
“Žalgiris alone has lost around 6 million, and it is our flagship, which makes the whole country famous in Europe,” the LKL director pointed out to Žalgiris.
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Lithuanian Basketball Federation general secretary Mindaugas Špokas said the 135-member organization lost as much as 14.7 million. euros.
At the beginning of the season, Žalgiris director P. Motiejūnas said that Žalgiris’ budget this season will reach 9.7 million. of which 7.2 million euros were allocated to players. euros.
– In addition to access to state support, are there options for the Euroleague to contribute to financial aid? – lrytas.lt asked P. Motiejūnas.
– Certainly not. This organization has no money to help the clubs. And they do not foresee such activities.
– What amount of aid from the state “Žalgiris” would be satisfied?
– You know, we don’t use any amount. We only talk about the situation and the fact that, if possible, we would like to be among the organizations that have been identified as victims of COVID-19.
I have no idea what amount is acceptable, but as I realized, you can hardly expect help because wanting more than there is help. After all, you cannot expect what is not so much.
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– Can it happen that one or another basketball player leaves Žalgiris at the end of the season due to non-payment of wages?
– It certainly won’t. Men have a great understanding of the situation, they see what is happening. They play, they fight, they seek victory and they don’t talk about money. Especially about leaving.
Basketball players know that they will eventually be resolved – we will end the season with the current team and the players will receive their salaries. Later, but you will receive.
– It has been said that the club is now using the money it has earned in previous seasons. How much of that reserve is there?
– I want to make it clear that we will finish the season with our own funds. We will look for every opportunity for that to happen. But after the season, we will have to think about how to finally come to terms with the players, cover the debts, consider what the next season will be like.
After the meeting in the Seimas Economic Committee, the Vice Minister of Economy and Innovation Vincas Jurgutis only stated that in the approved budget of the Seimas there are no additional subsidies for the support of sport.
“230 million have been allocated in the budget and there are already around 350 million measures. I don’t know how many more millions may show up, “said V. Jurgutis.
The Deputy Minister of Finance, Gediminas Norkūnas, and the Deputy Minister of Education, Science and Sports, Linas Obcarskas, also spoke happily; According to officials, additional funds can hardly be expected.
In the run-up to Kaunas Žalgiris’ launch in the Euroleague, an annual press conference was held in September 2020, where club director P.Motiejūnas traditionally reviewed the previous season’s results, presented the 2020-2021. seasonal plans and budget.
Turning to last season, the club’s activities were also heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected other European clubs and led to the premature suspension of the basketball season. Such a fate for the season also significantly adjusted the numbers in the club’s financial status.
In the previously interrupted basketball season, the Lithuanian champions planned to collect 10.6 million. However, due to the significant reduction in funding for sponsors and advertising services due to the pandemic, the budget amounted to € 8.8 million. euros. Also, due to COVID-19, the club lost 0.8 million. for refunds and compensation to clients for failures in 2019-2020 season games.
After canceling the season, last year’s Žalgiris account holders had a chance to receive 25 percent. compensation for the subscription amount paid by them, or retain it as a credit for the 2020-2021 season. 19 percent. account holders recovered money, 57 percent. the amount was left as a credit for the new season and 24 percent. without taking advantage of that, he contributed to the team’s budget.
It is true that although the club did not manage to raise the planned budget, the team’s expenses also decreased due to the short season. Instead of the 11.9 million expected. They amounted to 9.6 million euros. euros. 1.6 million € 0.7 million was spent on player and coach salaries, and € 0.7 million was saved on equipment and administration costs. euros.
In the 2020-2021 season that has already started, the budget of the Kaunas team will reach 9.7 million. euros. As in the previous year, most of 7.2 million. the euros will go towards the salaries of players and coaches.
