MP Mykolas Majauskas, chairman of the Lithuanian parliamentary Committee on Budget and Finance, has proposed introducing direct management for the Lithuanian Football Federation. He says Lithuanian football is in an appalling condition and the federation is unable to carry out reform.
“We need a normalisation phase and to appoint temporary regulator for that period. We need UEFA’s direct management. Or, with UEFA’s blessing, we need the Lithuanian government to take action and appoint a temporary regulator. A UEFA-appointed representative should also be considered,” Majauskas told BNS on Wednesday after a joint meeting of his committee and the parliamentary Commission for Youth and Sport Affairs.
In his words, the federation also needs independent operational and financial audits, as well as legal amendments in line with the FIFA standards, and also new democratic elections of the federation’s bodies should be held, the politician added.
According to Majauskas, the federation’s explanations and answers to MPs’ various questions at the joint meeting on Wednesday were not convincing and failed to change the opinion that, in its current make-up, the federation is unable to manage and carry out necessary changes.
Lithuania currently ranks 142nd in the FIFA rankings, which is the worst result in history.
Majauskas says the responsibility for such a “deplorable situation” lies to a large extent with the Lithuanian Football Federation.
“This is a consequence of its inability to carry out necessary reforms and to represent the broad football community,” he told the committee. “The question is whether the federation’s activities are in principle compatible with the interests of Lithuanian football.”
Secretary general rejects criticism
Meanwhile, Edgaras Stankevičius, secretary general of the Lithuanian Football Federation, has called criticism directed at the organization “political PR”.
“Elections are coming and it’s no secret that the federation elections will take place in 2024, and automatically politicians want some attention on topical issues, which is what we have seen before: it’s a very good trend to say something against the LFF,” he told reporters on Wednesday. “For me, the sad thing is that some state officials or high-ranking politicians take advantage of this and don’t take us quite seriously.”
He also said that Majauskas and other politicians were “distorting” facts.
“If we allow such messages, then let’s have arguments to back them. [...] We are in constant contact with the UEFA over a possible update of the statute. We have received some guidelines on what should be adapted, and those things are updated every year,” Stankevičius said.
The secretary general also said he was disappointed that the issue of funding was left unaddressed during the Wednesday meeting.
Stankevičius ruled out direct management.
“Yes, direct management is possible, but […] the FIFA, UEFA have to state that something is wrong,” he said.
Meanwhile, Majauskas said the Lithuanian ambassador to Switzerland had already turned to FIFA and UEFA leaders regarding problems in the Lithuanian Football Federation, stressing the need to update the organisation's statute in line with FIFA’s standards and to hold new, democratic and transparent elections.
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