Žalgiris president A. Tapinas responds to basketball news: 'Balčiūnas surpasses even 'Riteriai' owner Clancy'

2026-07-15 20:45 © E. Žaldario

The president of Vilnius "Žalgiris" club, Andrius Tapinas, whose considerable attention is now directed at the Conference League qualifying match against "Petrovac," spoke about the affairs of another sport.

In Lithuanian basketball, a lot of fingers are currently pointed at the president of the Association "Lithuanian Basketball" (the former federation) Mindaugas Balčiūnas.

A. Tapinas stated bluntly: "The Lithuanian Basketball Federation seems to be doing everything to become the epitome of incompetence, disconnection from reality, and tragic communication in Lithuanian sports. Even the football federation of bandits, mayonnaise containers, and the times of shenanigans could say that we haven’t fallen to such a level."

I thought that the "owner" of the Top League Riteriai, Clancy, had the greatest delusion in Lithuanian sports, but Balčiūnas surpasses him.

Basketball is shaken by a crisis like never before, while the leaders of the federation continue to cover their backsides and speak nonsense about how after major failures, Lithuanian basketball would emerge stronger and achieve its greatest victories.

It is even stranger to read suddenly activated anonymous sports FB pages a la various Basketball Rhythm, Naked Basketball, and others, who stand firmly behind Balčiūnas and throw mud at all others, starting from Valančiūnas to basketball journalists and commentators. Panicking and bewildered, the federation under Balčiūnas does something nonsensical or simply lies every day.

One day they say that no one has refused to play for the national team, the next day they explain that after speaking with the presidency, they wished them success. Incredible, but the president's advisor Janson appears on time and place with his irony that the presidency is a building and anyone can speak to it, but it does not wish success, driving another nail into the coffin of this pathetic story.

And when you think that it can't get any worse, today Balčiūnas, like in the mature Soviet era, rolls out a "support letter from labor collectives," in which the pocket federation organizations express unconditional support for the leaders of Lithuanian basketball, seeking solutions to strengthen the Lithuanian basketball system. Brezhnev is alive and has reincarnated into Balčiūnas.