It will be heard again: „Where is this Niš?“
By: Vladan Dinić
The news is (not) exclusive, however: Ivica
Tončev, a long-time successful businessman in the West, former president of FC
"Radnički" and undestined owner of the football club Radnički from
Niš, came back to Niš and the Niš club, and then, in order to avoid a conflict
of interest, froze his position but not his intention to make
"Radnički" "Real from Niš" again, to dominate Europe, to
make everyone ask again: where is this Niš?
Svedok: It seems that you haven't had enough
since you took the hot football seat in Radnički again?
Ivica Tončev: When it comes to
"Radnički" I have to admit that I am emotionally attached to that
club because I come from the south of Serbia so that most of my decisions
are based on the belief that I could really help the club. The seat is
"hot" but I love challenges. It's easy to manage a club when you are
in the black, but one needs to fight during difficult times. That's why I've
decided to come back to Radnički.
S: If it's not a secret - why and what are
your main motives? Of course, beside the emotional ones?
I.T: One of the main motives is my belief
that Niš should become the most powerful football center of Serbia after Belgrade. And I will work on it intensively
in the future, primarily through the development of the youth football school,
which will be a talent hotbed. We have a tradition, but also talented children,
so by joining these two elements we will try to make Radnički a European club.
I also wanted to do something for the region I come from and for the people who
deserve to watch European matches again in Niš. That is why I am ready to fight
for this goal.
I.T: It's not about making money! Here, in
football, in Niš, in Serbia,
one can never make money!
S: So what is is about then? The Serbian
defiance?
I.T: It's not the defiance! I just want to
help Niš. Serbia is
centralized, everything is in Belgrade...
If every suburb in Belgrade
can have its own club, why would a city of 300,000 inhabitants in the southern
part of the country not have one!?
S: You have promised to take „Radnički“ to
Europe? How realistic is that considering that
in Serbian football "everything is known in advance":
"Zvezda", "Partizan", "Vojvodina"...
I.T: Honestly, I don't know everything in
advance in our football. Because, if I knew, there would be no need to
participate in the competition. I can talk about my expectations from the
„Radnički“ football players which are - straight to Europe.
And I stand by that. After all, everyone who knows me knows that I don't make
promises lightly. I said that I expect „Radnički“ to play in Europe
in the next two years. I will try to make that happen already in the next
season, but first we have to create healthy foundations for the club.
S: You seem to avoid answering the
question on the "eternal rivals"?
I.T: „Crvena Zvezda“ and „Partizan“ are big
names in our football but that does not mean that we will surrender before any
match "because everything is known in advance". I find such an
attitude unacceptable. Also, I'm sure we can take on „Vojvodina“, „Napredak“,
„Mladost“, „Čukarički“...
S: „Jagodina“, the football club of your
and my friend Dragan Marković Palma, made it to Europe ... it won the Serbian
Cup, and it is now fighting for survival in the Serbian Second League?
I.T: Yes, "Jagodina" made it to
Europe and achieved great success playing, for example, against
"Rubin" from Kazan
and winning the Serbian Cup. The fact that it is now struggling in the Second
League is a matter of something else, many factors affect it. After all, why
don't you ask Palma,
he is your long-time friend too. Also, for example, not so long ago "Messina" was in Serie A and it is now in the third
Italian league, or Leeds ...
S: And yet, you came back?!
I.T: At the moment, I'm investing in the Niš
club what is most valuable, primarily myself and my free time, which,
realistically, I have very little. But if you ask me whether it will pay off, I
cannot answer that question.
S: Why do you say that?
I.T: I love football and I don't look at it
through "profitability" and wallet. If you ask my family, I believe I
know their answer too, they are the ones who suffer most because of my lack of
free time and because I'm "never home". Anyway, because I love
football I cannot put on a scale and measure the benefit-cost ratio since these
things are immeasurable.
S: Privatization?
I.T: The issue of privatization is important,
and it would be easier if things were resolved systematically. I believe that
these relations will be defined soon and I expect that it will further
facilitate sports management and investment in sports.
S: Since Law on sports and, of course, on
privatization has not been adopted in our country yet, does it generally pay
off to invest in football during times of such undefined relations? What is the
essence of the problem when it comes to investing in football?
I.T: The fact that no one wants to give
anything and everyone wants to take a lot! And everything is reduced to a
personal relationship.
S: And what about self-management?
I.T: Oh, there is plenty of that! Everyone
wants to be a club boss! When I came to „Radnički“ for the first time, 50
or 100 veterans gathered and they behaved as if everything around them was
theirs! They acted as if the club was theirs, and based on that they requested
some rights ... self-management rights.
S: How is it possible, and with what
money, to buy players while the club bank account is blocked?
I.T: I prefer not to talk about others. But
in „Radnički“ we are aware that we don't need any intermediaries, because that
would make the situation more difficult.
S: The situation with the cash register in
"Real from Nišava" is not that great, one would rather say you are in
an unenviable position?
I.T: That's right, and that is why we have
entered into negotiations with creditors, asked for their understanding and had
the account unblocked. Disciplinary body of the Football Association of Serbia
has also made the decision in the meantime that we can register new players. In
any case, we try to operate economically because it is the only way both the
creditors and the players who come to our club can trust us. Players are
brought the regular way, i.e. with the unblocked bank account.
S: When you mentioned bringing players, I
remembered an episode from your previous time in „Radnički“. You brought,
through a manager, some Argentinian players (who had caused a big commotion
back then, editor's note). We watched the practice together, it was raining,
and all they did was fall down and roll on the field...
I.T: I remember that, that's when I told the
joke - did we buy football players or water polo players?! However, you
remember also that these were good players, but other players in the team had
simply boycotted them at that time... They had successful careers after they
left ...
S: Does the City of Niš, primarily, and do you and your
administration have the desire to tilt at windmills like Don Quixote?
I.T: The management of „Radnički“, together
with the city government has the desire to win, and not to tilt at windmills in
vain. After all, the fact that right away we started to grapple with all the
challenges we are facing, shows that. Our priority, and I believe we are on the
right track to achieve that, is to create a high quality team that will last.
S: Along with the position of the
president of FC Radnički, at the same time you are a politician, MP, advisor to
the Minister of Foreign Affairs responsible for national security... Doesn't
that interfere with one of the principles - sport to athletes?!
I.T: It is true that I am a politician,
however I am not an MP nor advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, but the
State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since December. Since I
became the president of Radnički a few days earlier, in the meantime I have
complied with all legal requirements and "froze" the presidency at
the club.
S: You bailed out - right away?
I.T: No! It doesn't mean that I will turn my
back on „Radnički“, but I did freeze the presidency. In any case, I will be
with the club at all times in order to give it full support in accordance with
the Law on Sports. I don't see anything disputable in the fact that politicians
love sports and fight for the clubs they support.
S: Do
you think it's normal, and in Serbia
that is the case, that state secretaries, officials in government institutions
have a higher income than the president, prime minister, vice president,
ministers and even MPs?
I.T: Essentially, it is not normal, but such
is the law at the moment, which, in truth, can be changed. Some officials carry
a huge burden on their shoulders and in this regard, the government should pay
them properly in order to prevent everyone from leaving to become consultants
or from leaving Serbia.
S: One
of the main promises that this SNS-SPS government gave was - we will reduce the
number of agencies! At that time, when you came to power, there were, I
believe, 67, and today there are over 120. Is that the saving they talked
about?!
I.T: I cannot say that I am thoroughly versed
in the matter. I will only say that the savings can be reflected not only in
reducing the number of agencies, but also in reducing the unreasonable costs
and rationalization of operations in general. I believe that the government has
severely reduced all unnecessary costs in the previous period and has attached
importance to saving in particular.
S:
Newspapers are full of alleged disagreements in SPS; what will you present to
the people since it seems that SPS is only a sidekick of the progressive party?
I.T: There have been such articles in the
press, however that hasn't been, nor was, nor will be the method of operation
of SPS. It seems to me that newspapers often place such "news" on the
front page when their sales drop, because that is what sells the newspapers. It
is simply the way it is and it will never change. SPS is an equal partner of
the SNS. The fact is also that in the last parliamentary elections, SNS got
huge support from the people, and we as a coalition partner certainly respect
that. That doesn't mean that we are someone's sidekick, but I would rather say
that we respect the balance of power and that we jointly share the
responsibility for running the country that still faces numerous challenges
before entering the EU, which is what we all together strive for.
S: Why do you think it is something that
all of us strive for. Many believe that after the elections in France the EU
will collapse like a house of cards?
I.T: I was referring to the ruling coalition, sorry
...
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