A. Tapinas revealed V. Venslovaitienė's plans to sell shares of 'Žalgiris' for a high price: actions described as greed.

2025-10-23 14:18

Public figure Andrius Tapinas shared information about the latest matters regarding Vilnius "Žalgiris" on his Facebook social media wall.

A. Tapinas again pointed a finger at former "Žalgiris" leader Vilma Venslovaitienė, who demanded a large sum of money for her shares in the club, thus risking the bankruptcy of her former and beloved club.

The well-known person titled the text: "HOW ONE PERSON'S GREED CAN KILL A LEGEND."

A. Tapinas wrote: "In recent months, I have written a lot about Vilnius 'Žalgiris' - I urge everyone to contribute, come to the stadium, support the club, which is the heart of our football. Today I will explain why this is extremely important now."

There are not many sports legends in Lithuania. Vilnius "Žalgiris" is one of them. And the legend is balancing on the brink. The year 2025 was particularly difficult for the club; trust crumbled, fans and players did not know what awaited them. The resignation of former director Vilma Venslovaitienė raised uncomfortable questions. A pre-trial investigation was launched regarding possible document forgery due to her actions. However, this is far from the whole story.

A few months ago, the interim club director, later elected as a permanent one, and someone who has already saved "Žalgiris" once, Mindaugas Kasperūnas, requested a meeting and, if possible, to help in some way. I don’t inflate my role - he asked for help from many people, as the situation in the club is critical.

According to him, "Žalgiris" had 26 thousand euros in the account and a "legacy" - a 1.5 million euro hole in the budget due to existing obligations and debts. How did this happen? Because the budget was "perfectly" planned, hoping that the "Žalgiris" led by Čeburinas would overcome the first stage of the Champions League. They did not. A 1.5 million euro hole opened up. Mindaugas, together with the "Pietų 4" and "Žaliai baltas Vilnius" faithful, performed an incredible feat - they raised several hundred thousand euros in interest-free loans and donations for the club to survive another month. But this could not last long. He informed the shareholders about the situation, but no one showed much interest in assigning more than a million to the club, understanding that this money would probably not be returned.

We started thinking about what to do. We turned to Tadas Burgaila, an entrepreneur who is very passionate about football, inviting him to save the club and become a strategic investor. Tadas responded. He offered an investment plan and more - he immediately lent a significant amount and gave the club a bit more time. Together with Tadas and Mindaugas, we set up a new modern representative structure for the club. I would be in the club only on a voluntary basis. Changes in the club have piqued the interest of sponsors; some have already come, others are still considering.

Tadas and I are using our connections. We are negotiating with a potential general club sponsor, and this could become one of the largest deals in Lithuanian football history. On the field, the team also revived - the new coach Rolandas Džiaukštas brought Lithuanian players back to the main team, and they are flying like on wings. You can see the results: 6 matches - five victories and one draw, with five Lithuanians in the starting lineup in the game in Kaunas.

Everything has changed. The financial rescue plan of the club is also clear - the new investor covers the club's debts, stabilizes the situation and in return receives newly issued club shares. This is a model that works worldwide. At the same time, Burgaila wants to attract even more investors to the club so that it would not be a "one-person club," but a team of ambitious and bright minds. But then the former shares are back on the stage that Venslovaitienė still holds, and she expresses a desire - "buy my shares, along with those of the former sports director Nikoličius," in total five shares. And definitely not for a symbolic amount. Which is absurd.

The club has a 1.5 million euro hole, municipal support has been used up, there are no assets, it can practically declare bankruptcy - but shares that are objectively worthless still seem like a gold mine to someone. Of course, one can talk about the club's potential in the future, but one can also say that an audit might show that the financial situation is even gloomier. And that bright future may not arrive at all, as the club has run out of money. Burgaila is an investor and understands this a hundred times better than all of us. But he does not understand why, instead of investing and saving the sinking club, he should financially reward a person under whose leadership the club faced such a magnitude of financial crisis. And still, he convinces himself that this will be better for "Žalgiris," and presents Vilma with an offer to buy the shares.

In my opinion, commercially illogical, but more than honorable. Because after buying the shares, Burgaila would also have to cover that 1.5 million euros. And the offer is rejected. At least such a signal has reached the club. Because, apparently, it is still not enough. This is no longer a "golden parachute," but a "diamond parachute." When the desire to profit becomes above all else, the legend dies. Burgaila sees that it is impossible to reach an agreement and withdraws from the negotiations. With his and LFF's help, the club was still able to pay for October's expenses, but on November 20, it will no longer have money. And I am extremely angry. There may be no Burgaila there, maybe I won't be there, we can remain fans, there can be entirely different people, but they must care about "Žalgiris."

I still want to believe that common sense will prevail and the interests of "Žalgiris" will be placed highest, and Mindaugas Kasperūnas is taking the last step - planning an extraordinary shareholders' meeting, where shareholders will hear proposals from possible investors (not just Tadas Burgaila; perhaps other companies or individuals will emerge who have 1.5 million euros available just to cover debts and/or additional funds to buy shares) and will have to vote whether to accept them and increase the club's shares. It will also be proposed to conduct a full audit to answer all questions about how the club was managed and where the money was used. Stay tuned for the continuation, and today the question, primarily for the shareholders, is simple - will we allow one person's greed to kill a legend?