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Photo: Svein Ove Ekornesvåg, Scanpix
Home owner Robin Reed explains a dramatic situation at the club and has a clear message for the government.
Along with the other investors in Start a Dream AS, Reed should have injected more than NOK 100 million into the club in the past three years. Now the Southlander says they won’t be able to take the count just because of the crown crisis.
– We are doing everything possible for the club and we will continue to do so, but there are many things that are not yet clear, since the season is still underway. We must have a clear risk for ourselves. This situation is not sustainable in the long term, Reed tells VG.
– How long can you pay wages if this situation persists?
– With what we know today, we will run out of money in June. We want to do everything we can to stretch that money even further, but the problem is that we as a responsible employer and supplier of a product cannot wait until the last day until something is done. If there are no clarifications, we must reduce costs. No exit
STAR OWNER: Robin Reed photographed at the South Arena in connection with a VG report in 2017. Photo: Lise Skogstad, VG
Clear message to Raja
Norwegian clubs are experiencing significant financial problems as a result of lost revenue on the ticket, sponsorship and event side. Currently, it is unclear when and if the Elite Series 2020 will start.
At the same time, there is strong disagreement between Norwegian soccer leaders and Culture Minister Abid Raja about how large the rescue package should be for the clubs.
– If a good support plan for football is not implemented in Norway, it will have drastic effects. One must cut quickly. There will be great differences. The money you lose must be raised on the cost side. Everything was on the way in Norwegian football before this happened, so it will be terribly sad if we suddenly stop in football now with serious calling effects, Reed says.
Initially, they established a task force that worked with various measures to cut spending and increase revenue, but they are completely dependent on gaining state support, according to Reed. And it must happen quickly.
– We already have all the men in some kind of layoffs. We have also done our best to move invoices and shorten them. It has a smaller workforce while all tasks are more intense. We and others in the club are working hard to make everything work. There must be some clear signals from those who decide which framework we have to relate to. If we are not given priority, it is a “fair game”, but at least they should tell us.
Heated debate
Strange boss Einar Håndlykken and Sarpsborg leader Espen Engebretsen are among those who have opposed government support plans for Norwegian sports. They think that it is not close to containing the help that football clubs need.
The criticism prompted Culture Minister Raja to protest Wednesday night in a frontal attack on Norwegian club leaders. Reed, for his part, responds that he agrees with Handlaken’s earlier statements.
– We speak the same language. I totally agree with him.
– What do you think of Raja’s statements?
– I think we should stop wasting time on intrigue and rather go to work. This is whether we want continuity in our football or not. We have hundreds of thousands of players in Norwegian football. Sport is incredibly important as a meeting point for most people, as inspiration and as a workplace. If we do nothing now, it will have drastic consequences, says Reed enthusiastically.
– I do not want the debate to be about what is “sensible” and not, but about what we must do to move forward. The first thing the government can do is obtain the 700 million that they initially reserved. This applies not only to us, but to the whole sport. There are many who feel and feel the same as we do.
Abid Raja and Einar Håndlykken had a meeting on Thursday morning. After the meeting, Raja was still clear that it was not yet part of soccer’s desire to cover the loss of sponsorship revenue, but it was clear that they wanted to help the sport.
See more statistics from the Elite series on VG Live.
Daylife
- Champions League qualification
