Maris Verpakovskis | Photo: RFS
General manager of the Latvian champion team RFS and Latvian football legend Māris Verpakovskis shared their opinion on the difficult schedule and the club’s performance in the Conference League (KL) group tournament in a conversation on “William Hill TV” , as well as revealing the behind-the-scenes look at the recruitment, salary, and budget of RFS players.
It has already been reported that on Thursday in the last match of the UEFA Conference League subgroup tournament in Riga, RFS lost 0: 3 (0: 3) to Italian Serie A team “Fiorentina”. In the first round, when RFS debuted in the group tournament of the continental club competition, the Riga players fought 1: 1 against the same opponent.
“This is a new experience for us. 52 official matches without friendlies and pre-season tests: we have never had so many before,” said Verpakovskis. “A new experience for the club’s management, coaches and players. We were in the Latvian Cup final, entered the Conference League group and fought [Latvijas] in the championship. Now, only in the last round did we put the credentials of the champions. “
“Maybe our mistake was that we should have prioritized it, but it would be stupid to enter the Conference League group stage and say that here we will play with the second team and give everything. [pašmāju] for the championship “, the general manager of RFS described participation in Eurocups.” Of course, the Latvian football community has waited so long for a club to exist [Konferences līgā] will come in and we couldn’t do it. It would be a crime against football. That’s why it has now happened that there are two rounds left and we still have to fight for entry to Eurocups next season. “
“We weren’t fully prepared for the KL group stage,” Verpakovskis continued. “Overall we have had quite a few injuries this season and injuries to key players that derailed us a bit. The level of the players we have here and the legionnaires who are arriving, obviously is not the TOP [Konferences līgas] one level.
When asked about transfers and player recruitment, Verpakovsky said the RFS team has two scouts who gather as much information as possible from the player’s previous clubs, where he played, and from players or coaches who have worked with him. “We are trying to gather as much information as possible. If we can get a talented footballer, say from Serbia or Brazil, who is at this level or above, very often we know he has some kind of disadvantage, but we have to take the risk. We’re not going to get top-notch talent on the cheap that will be better than all of them here. “
“We have two scouts who analyze the players and know our level and the level of the Latvian league. We send every player we want to sign to the scouts, who analyze his matches of the last year and write us a report, where the points are indicated. strengths and weaknesses of the player, “revealed Māris. If possible, we try to watch the player’s match live. You can grasp more nuances on the spot “.
“Attracting Brazilians is easier. They don’t understand much if it’s Slovenia, Poland or Latvia. For them it’s Europe. Let’s say we play in the Conference League, in Eurocups and it’s like a carrot for them. It’s very interesting”, described the director general of the RFS the attraction of foreign footballers. “We have a chat. Me, coach, sporting director and owner of the club. The four of us make the final decision on which player to sign. “
In addition, Verpakovskis compared the financial possibilities of the RFS with “Fiorentina”, with whom the Riga team had to compete in the group stage of the Conference League. “Fiorentina has come – for them in the headquarters there are 40 people. It is space. We are a long way from that level, “said the RFS rep.” We discussed budgets at lunch. For us it’s two and a half million, but they have a salary budget of 65 million. The difference is so great that there is nothing to compare. Of course, we want to aim for such a level and at least as great Headquarteryour nutritionist, cook, etc.
Verpakovskis also shared information on the salaries of RFS players. “They depend on where he comes from. If he’s from Africa, he’ll be happy even for the minimum wage. Usually that’s a thousand euros, that’s what young people pay. However, with players from Africa, there are often risks of adaptation,” he said. revealed Māris. If it comes from Europe, for example from Croatia or Serbia, then it is clear that it will be from two and a half to three thousand. Won’t go here for less. If he is a Brazilian who has not yet proven himself and has played at an adult level, he can also be persuaded to come for a thousand or five hundred euros with a salary increase after a while. For example, the number of games played or the goals scored “.
By entering the group stage, RFS was already guaranteed at least € 3.3m by UEFA. The RFS is the second Latvian team in history to enter the subgroups of UEFA club tournaments. Among Latvian clubs, only “Ventspils” had previously played in the group tournament of the European club competition. 13 years ago, Kurzemnieki continued the season in the UEFA Europa League group stage after failing to make it through the UEFA Champions League qualifying play-offs.
The UEFA Conference League is the third tier club competition in Europe, after the Champions League and the Europa League. In May, in Tirana, the Italian team “AS Roma” was crowned the first champion of the tournament. In the 2022/2023 season the final will take place in the Czech capital, Prague.
