Pitbull concert forces Lithuanian football club to play Champions League qualifier in another town

The Lithuanian football club "Kauno Žalgiris" faces an inconvenient relocation for a crucial Champions League qualifier, forced to play in Jonava, approximately 30 kilometers away, instead of their home ground in Kaunas. The reason for this disruption is a concert by the international artist Pitbull, scheduled for July 31 at the Dariaus and Girėnas Stadium.

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We already know that we will not play in our home stadium because of some dog's concert... I'd rather not say anything more on this topic... It is what it is. We will prepare for the next matches, and we can only win if we are first in the Lithuanian championship, which is my main goal this year.

This scheduling conflict has not gone unnoticed internationally, with "The Guardian" highlighting the unusual circumstances. The newspaper reported that "Kauno Žalgiris," often associated with Lithuania's most successful basketball club, booked the Pitbull concert for their 15,000-seat stadium before anticipating their success in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers. The club secured a significant financial advantage, estimated at €1.7 million, by advancing in the tournament.

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Lithuanian champions 'Kauno Žalgiris' defeated Kosovo champions 'Drita' 3-2, advancing 4-3 on aggregate to the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. This secured the club approximately €1.7 million. According to the schedule, 'Kauno Žalgiris' should play their first match on Tuesday in the Faroe Islands against the country's champion 'Klaksvik', and the return leg in Lithuania on July 29. However, not expecting such success in Europe, 'Kauno Žalgiris', whose name is most associated with Lithuania's most decorated basketball club, had previously booked a Pitbull concert at their 15,000-seat Dariaus and Girėnas stadium for July 31. As a result, the club is now urgently seeking an alternative venue for the match. Therefore, instead of playing in Kaunas, 'Kauno Žalgiris' will likely be forced to play in Jonava, a town about 30 kilometers away, whose stadium holds just over 2,500 spectators.

"Kauno Žalgiris" president Mantas Kalnietis acknowledged the potential scheduling clash but expressed hope that early home matches would circumvent the issue. He emphasized that such concerts are vital revenue streams, enabling the club to strengthen its team and improve its chances of reaching the group stage. Kalnietis noted that this is the only concert at the stadium this summer, meaning future qualifying rounds would not face this problem.

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Such concerts are an important source of income for the stadium, and a great entertainment for the residents of Kaunas. Ultimately, this income strengthens our entire organization, allows us to assemble a stronger team, and increases our chances of reaching the group stage. There will be only this one concert at the stadium this summer, so we will not face such a problem in the later qualifying stages this year.

However, the Lithuanian Football Federation president, Edgaras Stankevičius, described the situation as "truly regrettable." While acknowledging Jonava's stadium is adequate, he stressed the significant difference and the natural desire of any team to play important matches on their home turf. Stankevičius suggested that such situations do not contribute to the overall development of Lithuanian football.

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Such situations certainly do not contribute to the development of Lithuanian football.