By Jaroslaw Adamowski
October 1 – Zvezdan Terzic (pictured), the general secretary of Red Star Belgrade, has called for an amendment to the country’s sports bill that would facilitate the potential privatisation of Serbian football clubs.
“As long as the sports bill remains unchanged, there will be no strategic partners,” Terzic told local daily Vecerne Novosti. “Paragraphs 72 and 94 of the current bill on sports are preventing investors from using their own, private capital and profits [to invest in Serbian football clubs].”
According to the club official, the Serbian Football Federation (FSS) missed a chance to include the required amendments on the agenda in the period when the current bill was debated by the country’s lawmakers.
“The FSS should have served as a partner to the Ministry of Sport to work out specific solutions,” Terzic said. “All Serbian clubs are in major problems because of … legal regulations, and they need fresh investment.”
According to the secretary general, Red Star’s debt is estimated at between €48 million and €50 million.
On a related note, earlier this year, Serbian Minister of Youth Affairs and Sport Vanja Udovicic said that the government is working on a strategy to privatise two of the country’s leading football sides, Red Star Belgrade and Partizan Belgrade, which are state-owned.
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