October 31 – The new president of Serbian giants Partizan Belgrade, Rasim Ljajić (pictured), has announced that the club has accumulated colossal debts and that Partizan’s expenses must be kept to a minimum for the club to survive.
Partizan owes the state €22 million in taxes. This is the largest of the debts owed by the ‘black and white’, but it is not the only one.
Partizan owes serious sums to agents and former players, that have accumulated from commissions and unpaid wages.
Ljajić said that at the moment the club does not have financial means to meet its commitments and it is difficult to pay everyone. The club’s management will try to negotiate a rescheduling of the debt payments.
“We owe €22 million to the tax administration, €4.5 million to agencies and agents, €10 million to players, while debts to other clubs are about €6 million. Now we have to contact all those people, reschedule and pay something. It’s not easy, but the only positive thing is the enthusiasm we all have. Unfortunately, we don’t have enough money to pay off all those debts,” said Ljajić.
The new president of Partizan also announced that a serious reduction in the club’s expenses and a reduction in the salaries of Partizan’s employees is coming.
“Monthly expenses for salaries amount to €1.2 million, including the staff and football players, while our income is practically zero. We are trying to organize the club as a corporation, so that we can function in the future, but now we are struggling to stay afloat,” Ljajić added.
“The annual budget is €22 million, but we have to reduce it to 16 or 17 million if we want to survive, maybe even more, depending on the possibility of selling a player. Selling one player at this point would be a lifesaver, but that’s more wishful thinking than reality. We have potential two or three players, but it all comes down to potential. Now I am not sure that it is feasible.”
Contact the writer of this story, Aleksander Krassimirov, moc.l1732490217labto1732490217ofdlr1732490217owedi1732490217sni@o1732490217fni1732490217