It is now official: prominent Lithuanian public figure and civic activist Andrius Tapinas has become the new president of FK Žalgiris Vilnius.
After months of active involvement in the club’s affairs and following the departure of former president Vilma Venslovaitienė, Tapinas announced his new role in a recent Facebook post.
In his statement, the new president outlined his plans for the club’s future and commented on the recent exits of two players, which he described as markedly different: Joris Moutachy left respectfully, whereas Motiejus Burba allegedly departed abruptly without taking the time to thank the club.
“Today I decided to accept the proposal from Tadas Burgaila and Mindaugas Kasperūnas to become the president of the Žalgiris Vilnius football club. At the upcoming shareholders’ meeting, I will present my vision and, I hope, the shareholders will believe in it.
Seeing how actively I’ve been involved in Žalgiris matters, it might seem like a very easy decision, but in reality I thought about it a lot. Contributing from the sidelines is fun; holding a position in the club carries serious responsibility.
But how can you turn down such a challenge, to take part in building a new generation football club, to try to bring back that sense of excitement to the city on match day?
Two essential things: the club president is an unpaid position, and the president is responsible for marketing, representation, and attracting fans and sponsors. The club is directly managed by the director, and the squad is assembled by the sporting director. A clear and Western-style structure.
I’ll talk more about the vision later, once it is approved by the shareholders. One principle is clear: to speak openly about both good and bad news.
Because there are and will be bad news. Žalgiris lost two players from the main squad. Žalgiris offered them significantly improved contracts, but they chose another direction. That’s how football works: agents, temptations, ambitions, the shadow of the club’s past.
The only difference is in how they leave the club. One called the sporting director, explained the situation, thanked him for the offer. A professional and gracious farewell.
The other player, who had sworn loyalty to the club and said how grateful he was to the new Žalgiris coach for trusting him and reviving his career, simply disappeared. He neither said goodbye nor took two minutes to make a human call to thank and explain that he was moving on. Everyone would have understood. But he just slipped away. Everyone chooses their own path.
But the good news, which will be plentiful, is much more important. The team is being assembled by the new sporting director, Giedrius Klevinskas. He has experience, a cool head, and patience. You’ll see soon.
At the Pietų IV season closing event, one Žalgiris fan told me: “They fed us promises for so many years that we’re in no rush to believe what new people say.”
“And you’re right to do so,” I replied. Everything will be measured by actions. One fulfilled promise at a time.
A few weeks ago I told the fans: I promise we will sell at least 1,000 season tickets. They were skeptical.
Today we have 1,000 season tickets sold. 8.5 times more than last season. And this is just the beginning.
I made a bet with the guys from the FutbolasLT podcast that Žalgiris average attendance in the A Lyga stadium will be 2,000 people. They say it won’t happen and think it’s an easy win. I think that by the start of the season we can even sell 2,000 season tickets.
Now I need your help and support. We will talk a lot and openly; new media channels will open: Laisvės TV becomes the official media partner of Žalgiris Vilnius, and next week we are filming a unique podcast “Three in a Boat”, three club leaders, Mindaugas, Tadas, and I, speaking very openly about what’s happening in the club and what the football “kitchen” looks like.
I will write about the behind-the-scenes, marketing, finances, and other details in “Green and White Alchemy.” I can also confirm that at the beginning of next year a documentary TV series will be released about all the Žalgiris dramas.
And there will be players. Including Lithuanians. Players who trust the club and whom the club can trust in return. And with whom you can go not only into reconnaissance but also into the fight for the championship title. That’s also a promise.”, Tapinas wrote on Facebook.
Source: https://www.facebook.com/andrius.tapinas
