Yesterday, on 10th February, Sūduva held an event at the Spindulys cinema in Marijampolė for new season presentation, which included unveiling of the refreshed squad and of new club visual identity.
Current club president Mantas Agentas announced that long-time former president Vidmantas Murauskas has agreed to become Sūduva’s honorary president, presenting him with a special pin made for the occasion by Marijampolė-born jeweller Dominykas Vakrinas. Agentas said Murauskas had been the driving force behind the club’s successes over many years.
Marijampolė mayor Povilas Isoda handed Murauskas the city’s St George Order, praising his passion for the game. Lithuanian Toplyga director Vaidotas Zajarskas also presented him with an LFF third-class order. Murauskas joked that it is important to step aside at the right time, adding: “In moments like this you have to thank everyone, but my biggest thanks for the 26 years at Sūduva goes to my family. I wish Sūduva can return to winning ways. It won’t happen quickly, but I believe it can be achieved in two to three years. This year, I want us to finish the season with medals.”
In the second part of the event, Sūduva showcased a new visual identity and crest created with agency Not Perfect. The club has kept its traditional colours, while the central feature of the new badge is a cat-scratch symbol, alongside the year 1942, when a team bearing the Sūduva name was first formed in Marijampolė.
Agentas said the cat is one of Marijampolė’s symbols, linked to the city’s founder Countess Pranciška Butlerienė, and explained the sporting meaning behind the change. “A cat can be cute, but it can also scratch painfully,” he said. “That’s what we want Sūduva to be – dangerous for every opponent.”
Agentas also outlined plans for a new patrons’ club, with a dedicated space being created at Marijampolė Football Arena and pre-match talks with high-profile guests. He said around 40 sponsors have already joined, with patrons receiving special packages at the event.
All players currently under contract were brought on stage, with the squad expressing optimism for the campaign. Goalkeeper Giedrius Zenkevičius said: “I don’t want to talk about specific places, but I can promise we will give everything on the pitch and fight with all our strength against every opponent.”
Outside of the event, the new identity received mixed reviews on social media, with some followers of Lithuanian football and Sūduva supporters comparing the style of the new crest to heraldry and insignia of WW2-era SS units. Fans raised questions about the decision-making process that had gone into the development of the new crest: “No one in Marijampole had a questions before letting this go public?“, and “Who confirmed this? Identity is lacking. It’s just another minimalist logo that says nothing. Sūduva died with this one“, as well as about the elements of visual design: “Those elements in the middle don’t look the best”, “Bayern logo from temu”.
There were also those who liked the new identity, preferring it to the previous one.
The explicit inclusion of “1942” in the crest, despite the official founding date of FK Sūduva is recorded as 1968, because a minor point of controversy. There has been a historic Sūduva football club founded in 1942, under Nazi occupation, which existed briefly until being disbanded in 1944, as the Soviet occupation took hold. While the current Sūduva was founded in 1968 under the name of Sūduva Kapsukas, later becoming Sūduva-Žydrius in 1993 and Sūduva Marijampolė the following year, the club has been claiming the heritage of the older, 1942 entity, for a number of years now. It should be noted that beyond similarities in the name, no direct lineage between the contemporary club and the one founded in 1942, is known to exist.
The previous crest did not feature a founding date.
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Source: https://fksuduva.lt/suduva-pristate-nauja-identiteta-ir-sezono-planus/
