Relations between the representatives of České Budějovice and football Dynamo are still at freezing point. After the sharp exchange of views that accompanied the first mutual negotiations, the city has now not signed a media cooperation agreement with the club. At the same time, this meant a financial contribution in the order of millions for the club.
Another blow for Dynamo. The city did not sign a media cooperation agreement with the club, on the basis of which the club was supposed to receive approximately 12 million crowns in the following years. The decision was made after a protracted selection process and a series of disputes that flared up after the change of ownership of the club.
Paperwork mess
The contract entitled “Long-term marketing services for the statutory city of České Budějovice” was tendered in an above-limit regime and included a section focused on football. The subject of the contract was to ensure the city’s advertising and promotion services in a specific sports environment, support tourism, culture and the spread of sports awareness among children and youth. The offer price was 12 million crowns.
According to the police, three Dynamo České Budějovice players must leave the Czech Republic. Two had their residence permit expired, and the third did not have a permit to stay here for the purpose of sports. They must leave the country within seven and thirty days, the police said on the website.
“While the hockey players and volleyball players submitted all the documents the first time and the contracts were concluded quickly, in the case of football, the documents were submitted about four times. There were messes in the papers, on some documents Mr. Koubek was listed as the owner, on others Mrs. Ede,” described the progress of the deputy mayor Petr Maroš (Not included).
The city thus decided not to sign the contract, despite the positive assessment of the evaluation committee. There were several reasons, for example, uncertainty as to whether the expenditure of public funds would be in accordance with the principles of economy, efficiency and effectiveness, and with the obligation to act with the care of a proper manager. At the same time, the city drew attention to the contradiction between the purpose of the contract and the public appearance of the club.
The city does not see the point in cooperation
“The contracting authority also considered that, in this particular case, there is a fundamental contradiction between the purpose and purpose of the public contract – to build the good name of the contracting authority – and the way of acting and demeanor of the only participant in the public space, which does not inspire public confidence and, after a change of management, is not objectively capable of building the good name of the contracting authority.” stands in the justification of the city.
Relations between the city administration and the football club SK Dynamo České Budějovice continue to worsen. After uncertainties regarding the direction of the club, the lease of the stadium and the use of the Warehouse, the mutual disagreement escalated into a public shootout. Club owner Dorothy…
Dynamo defended the decision with objections, but the city rejected them. The club subsequently turned to the Office for the Protection of Economic Competition, which stopped the proceedings due to a delayed proposal. With this, the way to the conclusion of the contract was definitively closed.
According to Maroš, not only the course of the contract itself played a role, but also the strained relations between the city and the club. “In the meantime, the media skirmishes were already taking place and we came to the point that we are not even interested in such marketing cooperation. The city council did not approve the contract and that was the end of it.” stated
The deputy describes the current relations as practically non-existent. “The mutual relations are basically non-existent. Two meetings took place, but they did not bring any progress. We live side by side, but certainly not in the harmony that would befit a club that is supposed to make a name for the city.” said Maroš. The editors also asked for a statement from the club’s representative, but they did not respond.
Disputes from the first meeting
The tension between Dynamo and public institutions began to escalate already in the summer after the arrival of the new owner Dorothy Nneka Ede. The first joint negotiations with the city and the region ended in embarrassment, the representatives of the city hall criticized the absence of a clear vision and the idea of the functioning of the academy and the A-team. This was followed by disputes about the composition of the academy’s board of directors, the use of the premises at Složišta and the fulfillment of the conditions arising from the lease agreement for the stadium.
The tension between the South Bohemian Region, the city and football Dynamo is breaking after long weeks. The club has accepted the conditions of the region and will allow a regional representative to sit in its youth academy. Jiří Kotrba will become his coach. The region can thus release the suspended…
While in the case of the academy, the club finally reached an agreement with the region and the suspended subsidy was released, according to Maroš, the continuation of the marketing cooperation with the city is not expected. “In the current setting, I assume that there will be no interest from the city,” concluded.
For Dynamo, the non-signing of the contract thus means another significant hit to the budget and further confirmation that relations with the city remain at freezing point. Meanwhile, the club continues to struggle in League Two while dealing with one crisis after another off the pitch.
