On February 5, during a meeting of the Lithuanian Football Federation (LFF) Licensing Committee, decisions were made regarding the issuance of licenses for the 2025 A Lyga season.
The committee approved licenses for the following clubs:
- FK Žalgiris (Vilnius)
- FC Hegelmann (Kaunas district)
- FK Kauno Žalgiris
- FK Banga (Gargždai)
- FC Džiugas (Telšiai)
- FA Šiauliai
- FK Panevėžys
- FK Sūduva (Marijampolė)
However, licenses were not granted to the following clubs:
- FK Dainava (Alytus)
- FK Be1 (Jonava)
- FK Riteriai (Vilnius)
The most unexpected denial concerns the team from Alytus. Neither the Lithuanian media nor the club itself had ever hinted at the possibility of relegation to Pirma Lyga due to off-field issues.
As for FK Riteriai, their temporary exclusion also comes as a major surprise. After finishing first in Pirma Lyga last season, the club was expected to earn automatic promotion to Lithuania’s top tier. This decision is even more shocking given the club president’s recent statement, in which he confidently assured that Riteriai would compete in A Lyga for the 2025 season.
The LFF announced that clubs that were denied licenses have the right to appeal. The Appeals Licensing Committee will hold a meeting on February 12, 2025. The final list of A Lyga participants for the 2025 season will be approved by the LFF Executive Committee.
Source: https://www.15min.lt/sportas/naujiena/futbolas/topsport-a-lyga-su-8-klubais-dainava-ir-riteriai-negavo-licenciju-24-2389516