Mayor V. Benkunskas publicly addressed ‘Žalgiris’ problems – pointed fingers at V. Venslovaitienė's scandals.

2025-08-06 13:47 © E. Žaldario

After yet another blow, the head of Vilnius "Žalgiris," Vilma Venslovaitienė, spoke out with the mayor of Vilnius, Valdas Benkunskas.

Regarding the published falsified data, which was announced by the fan group South IV, the mayor wrote: "The situation in the historic Vilnius ‘Žalgiris’ football club is very concerning – changes are necessary. The issues of sporting results and club management, which are loudly discussed by the fan community, have long been ignored and unresolved. Generally, it is not good practice for the municipality and politicians to publicly comment on the internal affairs of sports teams because, in this way, the sporting or managerial problems that sometimes occur in clubs can be unnecessarily politicized and complicate their resolution. I was convinced that the club administration was capable of taking charge and addressing the issues, meeting the fans' expectations.

However, after the latest information published by the Vilnius ‘Žalgiris’ fan community, it became apparent that the head of the club lacks confidence. A letter from one of the long-term community members and shareholders of the club was released, claiming that the club's head (and shareholder) attempted to take over a portion of the club by signing a 15-year-old document and presenting it as a valid contract. Although the document states the amount in litai, it includes an outdated address and an old name of the legal entity. If this information is true – it speaks to possible document forgery and unavoidable legal liability. And this is entirely inconsistent with the transparency and public standards set for the club.

It must be acknowledged that ‘Žalgiris’ is sinking back to where its most loyal fans pulled it from 15 years ago when the club was usurped by a few individuals and driven to bankruptcy. Vilnius ‘Žalgiris’ belongs primarily to the people of Vilnius; it always has and must remain so. Therefore, I support the fan community and its initiated actions. The Vilnius City Municipality, as a small artist and main financier, will support legal actions and contribute to an immediate change in the situation at the club.

P.S. To those asking, I reply once again – the municipality does not have a sufficient majority of votes to independently make decisions in the board or shareholder meeting; according to the statutes, it does not even have the right of independent initiative to convene a shareholder meeting. However, together with the fan community, we will unite our efforts and initiate changes in the club.