FK Partizan staged Assembly meeting today, electing new caretaking management expected to run the club at least by the end of the season and before new FK Partizan Assembly meeting takes place.
Caretaker President Rasim Ljajic addressed the media reps today regarding steps to be taken in the near future.
“We staged club`s Assembly meeting and elected new Caretaking management. We were secretive about all the names until last night but it was clear we couldn`t hide it any more. Besides me, as a President, we have Predrag Mijatovic, Danko Lazovic, Milka Forcan, Vojislav Lazarevic, Boban Stanojevic and lawyer Dragan Milovanovic. We picked them in accordance to targets we`ve set. We have renowned athletes, successful entrepreneurs and a lawyer expected to deal with institutional reforms. I`d like to thank Predrag Mijatovic first and all the other new members who accepted to be here. I spoke to hundreds of former players and public personas and they all supported changes, saying it was good. But, when I asked for their help, lot of them would say they don`t want to join right now, they`ll do it later. Therefore, this is an act of courage, to have one sporting legend Predrag Mijatovic ready to battle with all the problems ahead of us. If we didn`t see the light at the end of the tunnel, we would not be here. We will have to implement some cutbacks, but to make things better one needs to take the harder path, because the shortcut is not there.
First and foremost, we need to reduce our budget from 22 million Euros to 16 or 17 million Euros. Basically, those who have bigger wage package have to be responsible accordingly. We have a need to reform and some wages need to be reduced but we`ll deal with it when we see the list of employees. I know what we do is not going to be fancied by many but I`m not here to lie about it, I`m not going to make huge promises, I`m just being realistic. We will come out with first results within a few months and then we`ll come back to you after six months, when we are supposed to stage Electing Assembly. Our aim is show all Partizan fans that this is a new beginning for a big club with rich history, along with a much bigger optimism that we have today. We want to include every person, athlete, aficionado who wants to help the club!
To start with, we need financial and organizational consolidation followed by Youth Academy reforms – FK Partizan trademark. I want focus on people from sport, not on us sitting in board or in VIP section at the ground. Obviously, it`s us now at the front line and that`s never a good sign although I understand the situation we are in at the moment. When we start talking about results and performances on the field only, we can say we are on good foundations”, said Rasim Ljajic.
Mr. Ljajic, did you speak with boss Savo Milosevic?
“I did spoke to Savo. Any changes now would be wrong. New coaching staff took over a team with lots of flaws within, with some players who not deserve to play in this club. Unfortunately, this is the reality of it all. Milosevic personally told me there are six or seven players who are not supposed to be here. He also said it`s not that bad as it looked at a first glance. There players who can make a difference, to be used in the future. We have to wait for January transfer window to make further planning and to win as much points as possible meanwhile”.
How hard was it to get former Partizan stars Mijatovic and Lazovic back?
“It was easy with Lazovic while it was quite tough with Mijatovic. He was thinking about it for quite some time and eventually said it is Partizan after all and it`s a right moment to be done now, when it`s so tough. I can only praise him, Mijatovic is one of the greatest legends and he will mean a lot to us”.
What are the plans regarding FK Partizan Youth Academy?
“First of all, we need staff solutions and that`s a job for Mijatovic and Lazovic and in agreement with current sporting director. We have to make franchises with all Serbian youth football schools and bring the talent to Partizan. We have to make players to fill our budget, there`s no other way”.
Do you expect Partizan die-hards to stop boycotting Partizan home games?
“This is the key questions! If fans are to return for the next game, and I mean not just the die-hards but all the fans from East and West stand, then we made a significant step forward. This caretaking management with Mijatovic in it already leaves a positive impression; you can feel some kind of optimism. Therefore, I expect these changes to be felt on that level too, as fans returning to the stands is of paramount importance to us”.
What is your opinion of previous management`s work?
“I`m not here to investigate, look at the papers or insult anyone. I didn`t mention a single name over the past few days. I know what the situation with the club is and we have to make cutbacks as we are on a brick of disaster, trust me. We have to show our readiness for sacrifice, to work for free! Progress has to be seen in every department. I will count it as a success if we go home every day thinking we`ve done something good. We must not leave this to one or two people, otherwise we are back to the drawing board”.
What will be the roles of Mijatovic and Lazovic?
“We`ll have our first meeting tomorrow and I believe both of them will address the public afterwards. We want to provide you with new info, to work with media closely. We also want to strengthen our sports department, to reduce mistakes made regarding transfers of players. One Man Utd would find it hard in this situation, 32 players signed in two transfer windows”.
How much time you will need make more solid foundations?
“Financial stability is the most important of all. We must not expect state to help us, as it did recently to see us through. We have new monitoring in December but it will not be the state or private companies giving you money if you are to behave like spoilt millionaire. We have to start saving so we can do things in the future. I expect us to save around 2 million Euros on players come January and we`ll do everything to get a breather before the new year. As for 2025, we will start full reconstruction of both team and club itself”, said Rasim Ljajic.
