© EuroFootball.com
For the second season, the National Football Clubs Association (NFKA) rather than the Lithuanian Football Federation (LFF) organizes the championship of the "A League". Valdas Kasperavičius talks with NFKA chairman Gintaras Ugianskas about the problems the association faces, how they overcome them, and what innovations are promised.
Television demands money for broadcasts
- What has changed since the Lithuanian football "A League" championship is now organized by the National Football Clubs Association instead of the Lithuanian Football Federation?
- The NFKA has freed the federation from activities that are not typical for it. Organizing the Lithuanian championship is not the job of the LFF. The federation should focus on promoting football, national teams, and pay close attention to youth football. Therefore, it was decided to entrust the running of the championship to the NFKA.
Changes are dictated by time, football is making progress. This is evidenced by the participation of Lithuanian clubs in various European cup tournaments. For the first time in history, Vilnius "Žalgiris" team reached the semifinals of the Intertoto tournament. This is a significant achievement.
Under favorable circumstances, FBK "Kaunas" players had to play against the strongest European team "Liverpool" (England). I visited Liverpool, saw the famous club's football kitchen up close. It was very beneficial for us.
- How would you describe the NFKA's relationship with the LFF, the referee association?
- Relations with both the LFF and the referee association are good, work-related. We resolve all issues.
- Football enthusiasts are upset that television does not broadcast the matches of the "A League", only Tango TV showed "Vilnius" team's home matches. Why did the situation turn out this way?
- The dissatisfaction of enthusiasts can be understood. The situation is very simple. Throughout Europe, where football is the most popular sport, the media plays a very important role. There is a huge difference in how matches are broadcast in Europe and in Lithuania. In Europe, television pays clubs for the right to broadcast matches, while in our country it is the opposite - Lithuanian television demands money from clubs. The clubs did not agree to pay money to the television during the NFKA board meeting.
If the country's televisions, without paying clubs and without demanding money from them, broadcast the "A League" matches, they would significantly contribute to the popularization of football. Things would improve if all Lithuanian media paid more attention to football matches. Then more spectators would come to the stadiums, and more people would want to play football. That is our wish.
Many stadiums have been reconstructed
- Last year there was a television show about the "A League". This year, like last year, it does not exist. Perhaps lack of money contributed to this?
- The shows are not there for the same reasons as the enthusiasts do not see the broadcasts of matches. Previously, the show existed just because the clubs paid a significant amount of money for it.
Football is not the most popular sport in Lithuania. On the other hand, we analyzed how many spectators come to basketball and football matches. It turned out that more spectators gather in stadiums in Lithuania. I think that if television broadcast football matches, it would attract no less advertising than during basketball matches.
- What should clubs do to attract more spectators? Which Lithuanian clubs make the most effort in this area, and which do not care at all?
- I couldn't say that there are clubs that do not want to attract spectators. They all try to have as many fans as possible within their capabilities. Team employees do not sit idly by. This year, the stadium was renovated in Šiauliai, a new field with stands appeared in Šilutė, the playing field was replaced in Klaipėda. It should not be forgotten that the Vilnius "Vėtra" club built its stadium. Last year, stadiums were reconstructed by the residents of Marijampolė, Panevėžys. Clubs are trying very hard, but they lack funds.
It is said that football is a business. Unfortunately, that is not the case in Lithuania now. Therefore, I would like to invite fans of this game, representatives of large companies to support their city's teams. By helping the club, you will also support Lithuanian football. The teams will buy better players, making the matches more interesting to watch. There are large, strong companies in Lithuania - "Mažeikių Nafta", SBA concern, insurance, telecommunications companies. Everyone could contribute. It would be a beautiful celebration, and Lithuania could live with football for six or eight months.
It's hard to find sponsors
- The fewest spectators are in Vilnius, where there are three teams. Did the capital city clubs set too high ticket prices? Do you see other reasons?
- I will give a simple example from the English league. The city of Liverpool in the top league has two teams. Both have their own stadiums, their own spectators, but there are no ticket price issues or empty stadiums. It's just a different tradition in England.
I never thought that football would be so unpopular in Vilnius. I remember the times when Lithuania had a great "Žalgiris" team. The "Žalgiris" stadium was overflowing with spectators. Now, only memories remain. Football is poorly promoted, so people do not choose to watch the matches.
Vilnius has a beautiful "Vėtra" stadium. "Kaunas" played UEFA Champions League matches against Torshavn's "HB" (Faroe Islands) team. I was very surprised that the stands were half empty even during the Champions League matches.
- Why does the Football Clubs Association find it so hard to find sponsors? Who is the main NFKA sponsor now?
- There is no main sponsor. The clubs themselves are the sponsors. Proposals were prepared, sent to all major companies in the country, but none showed a willingness to support. Perhaps we made a mistake by not approaching smaller companies.
Problems should be resolved internally
- Do the opinions of NFKA board members often differ during board meetings?
- There are various opinions, but we always find a compromise. If there were no differences, it would be boring. Diversity of opinions drives progress.
- Both last year and this year, Lithuanian football has not avoided scandals related to possible bribery of referees or players. However, in both cases, nothing was proven. Is it possible to collect evidence against offenders?
- The media does not write that there were interesting matches. However, if they hear that something is being talked about regarding the mentioned topics, they immediately make it public. Maybe the media, fans find it more interesting - look how bad football is. It is not as bad as many think. There are some misunderstandings, but we try to solve them. According to football regulation, all such matters are dealt with in the football family. Even UEFA rules state that problems should be solved internally first. We also adhere to international rules.
The championship needs to be shortened
- Is ten teams in the "A League" optimal? Do you think there should be more or fewer teams?
- I think ten teams in the "A League" are enough. However, the organization of the championship itself is questionable. At the next NFKA board meeting, I will propose a new championship system. After two rounds, the five strongest and five weakest teams should separate and play another two rounds among themselves. Why? We need to shorten the championship and during its break organize an international tournament in Lithuania. It should take place every year.
I always say that our players are not less talented than players from other countries, but ours play very few international matches. Until Lithuanian clubs gain more experience in international competitions, our football level will not improve much. We need to compete with good teams. The result does not matter; what matters is the skill level of the players.
