By Jaroslaw Adamowski
March 4 – Red Star Belgrade is being threatened with automatic relegation to the Serbian second tier as a result to its continuing financial woes. Sources close to the club’s management say that such a decision could be taken by the country’s football federation which is monitoring the situation at the club.
Meanwhile, club representatives say that it is working on paying its financial commitments in a bid to head off any threat of relegation from Serbia’s top tier, Super Liga.
“Our plans do not include such rigorous measures as a relegation to a lower tier,” the club said in a statement.
“The debts are being paid, as decided by the UEFA and FIFA, and, as a result, potential sanctions will be avoided. The remaining debts are to be planned in the foreseeable future, despite the fact that the current [club management] has inherited many such problems.”
Serbian government officials have been discussing ways to resolve the financial problems of the country’s two leading clubs, Partizan and Red Star, through their privatisation.
Serbian media have reported that Russia’s Gazprom, which has served as Red Star’s main sponsor since 2010, could become the next owner of the state-owned side. Red Star’s stadium has a capacity of 55,000.
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