© EuroFootball.com
The president elections of the Lithuanian Football Federation (LFF) did not bring any major news - only irritated the football community, which does not expect any positive changes in the near future.
No miracles
"I think Julius Kvedaras himself understands that he is not really suitable for the position of president, so the thought arises that someone is regulating everything from the outside," said Rimantas Turskis, the head of the Vilnius REO club. "He led Lithuanian football for 12 years from the position of general secretary, and only now started talking about sponsors. After all, it was not Liutauras Varanavicius who led the federation - he only talked."
Turskis was annoyed by the promise heard from the new president of the LFF to focus more attention on youth football.
"And what about Stasys Stankus, who heads the LFF technical department responsible for youth teams - whose puppet is he? Varanavicius's or Kvedaras's? This is Kvedaras's man, leading youth football for more than twenty years. We see the results," the interlocutor was annoyed.
"Who appoints national team coaches?" - Turskis raised the question. - Of course, Kvedaras! Nothing will change. Sponsors? "Hummel" has been supporting us for almost twenty years, nothing new here, no miracles," replied the former footballer.
Support for training?
"Another interesting thing. J. Kvedaras said that 25% should be returned to players who attract sponsor money. Was it about a "kickback"? How to understand this?" - Turskis pondered. " An interesting thing. It is about the amounts: first - after 300 thousand litas, then - we will receive 600 thousand litas from "Hummel". So in this case, it seems that it was counted by training and balls? Funny."
Turskis agreed with the version that the LFF president elections are a distraction from who will take over the position of general secretary.
"J. Kvedaras himself emphasized several times that all LFF finances are managed precisely by the general secretary, and now this position seems to be hanging in the air. I don't think anyone will change - the same people will be in charge," said Turskis. " Why have no other candidates emerged? This is a well-played game, as competitors are not allowed to nominate their own candidates."
According to Turskis, one of the better opposition contenders for the position of LFF president could have been Raimundas Alekna - a former athlete and member of the Vilnius City Council.
Bad odor
According to the head of the REO club, it is easy to buy the favor of people who have the right to vote.
"They offered them a bus, took them on a trip, treated them - and everyone is fine. I didn't believe that Kvedaras would be elected unanimously. It smells of naphtalene. No one has their own opinion, and if they do, they are afraid to voice it. This destroys Lithuanian football," said Turskis. "Sometimes the hands are even trembling. We talk with friends that it would be good to move, for example, to Spain. I would do it if I didn't have a job that I like here in Lithuania."
They changed jerseys
Former Lithuanian national team coach Benjamin Zelkevicius did not want to talk much about the rotations at the top of the LFF.
"They just changed jerseys. It is already being said that after this reshuffle, Varanavicius will go to work at the UEFA headquarters. Is this for the merits of what he did in Lithuania?" the coach said. " At the moment, our football is interesting only in the sense that no one is interested in it. Everyone digs a little, and strategies that more attention will be paid to youth are suitable only for delving into dilettantes."
Zelkevicius shared hope about the new head coach of the national team, Csaba Laszlo from Hungary.
"We have to believe that he will succeed because when the national team is in crisis, for all of us, at least those who are somehow related to it, it is bad," said Zelkevicius. "On the other hand, there is nothing you can do: people have come to power at a certain level, so they behave that way. Life's simple truth is: is it worth getting closer to someone if newcomers see things they shouldn't see?"
