Maris Verpakovskis | Photo: RFS
The general manager of the Latvian champion team RFS and Latvian football legend Māris Verpakovskis shared his opinion on the club’s difficult calendar and performance in the Conference League (KL) group tournament in a conversation on the “William Hill TV” channel, as well as revealed the behind-the-scenes of RFS player recruitment, salaries and budget.
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 the Italian Serie A team “Fiorentina”. In the first round, when RFS made its debut in the group tournament of the continental club competition, the players from Riga fought to a 1:1 draw against the same opponent.
“This is a new experience for us. 52 official matches without friendly matches and pre-season test matches – we have never had so many before,” said Verpakovskis. “A new experience for the club’s management, coaches and players. We were in the final of the Latvian Cup, entered the group of the Conference League and fought [Latvijas] in the championship. Now, only in the last round did we put down the credentials of the champions.”
“Maybe our mistake was that we should have set some priority, but it would be stupid to go into 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 director of RFS described the participation in the Eurocups. “Of course, the Latvian football community waited so long for a club to exist [Konferences līgā] will get in and we couldn’t do it. That would be a crime against football. That is why it has now happened that there are two rounds left and we still have to fight for entry to the Eurocups next season.”
“We were not fully prepared for the KL group stage,” continued Verpakovskis. “Overall we’ve had quite a few injuries this season and injuries to key players which have derailed us a bit. The level of players that we have here and the legionnaires that are coming, of course it is not the TOP [Konferences līgas] a level.
When asked about transfers and recruiting players, Verpakovsky stated that the RFS team has two scouts who collect as much information as possible from the footballer’s previous clubs, where he has played, and from players or coaches who have worked with him. “We are trying to collect as much information as possible. If we manage to get a talented footballer, say from Serbia or Brazil, who is at this level or above, very often we know that he has some kind of disadvantage, but we have to take the risk. We’re not going to get a top talent for cheap who’s going to be better than everybody here.”
“We have two scouts who analyze the players and know our level and the level of the Latvian championship. We send every player we want to sign to scouts, who analyze his last year’s games and write us a report, where the player’s strengths and weaknesses are indicated,” revealed Māris. “If possible, we try to watch the player’s match live. You can catch more nuances on the spot.”
“Attracting Brazilians is easier. They don’t understand so much there whether it is Slovenia, Poland or Latvia. For them it is Europe. We say that we play in the Conference League, in the Eurocups and it’s like a carrot for them. It’s very interesting,” the general director of the RFS described the attraction of foreign footballers. “We have a chat. Me, head coach, sports director and club owner. The four of us make the final decision on which player to sign.”
Also, Verpakovskis compared the financial possibilities of RFS with “Fiorentina”, with which the Riga team had to compete in the group stage of the Conference League. “Fiorentina came – for them in the headquarters there are 40 people. It’s space. We are very far from that level,” said the RFS representative. “We discussed budgets at lunch. For us it is two and a half million, but they have a salary budget of 65 million. The difference is so huge that there is nothing to compare. Of course, we want to aim for such a level and at least as big headquartersyour nutritionist, cook, etc.”
Verpakovskis also shared information about the salaries of RFS players. “They depend on where he comes from. If from Africa, he will also be happy for the minimum wage. Usually it’s a thousand euros, that’s what we pay young people. However, with players from Africa, there are often risks of adaptation,” revealed Māris. “If he comes from Europe, for example, Croatia or Serbia, then it is clear that they will be two and a half to three thousand. He will not go here for less. If it is a Brazilian who has not yet proven himself and played at the 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, by the number of games played or goals scored.”
Entering the group stage, the RFS was already guaranteed at least 3.3 million euros by UEFA. RFS is the second Latvian team in history to enter the UEFA club tournament subgroups. Among the 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 group stage of the UEFA Europa League after failing to pass the play-off round of the UEFA Champions League qualification.
The UEFA Conference League is the third-tier club competition in Europe, after the Champions League and the Europa League. In May, the Italian team “AS Roma” was crowned the first champion of the tournament in Tirana. In the 2022/2023 season, the final will take place in the Czech capital, Prague.
