The resounding decision: At KMN Meteorplast, they have decided not to have competitive selections in the NZS leagues for the 2024/25 season
Photo: KMN Meteorplast
The futsal season 2023/24 is coming to an end. The small football club KMN Meteorplast from Ljutomer participated with five selections in six competitions under the auspices of the Football Association of Slovenia (NZS) and won four medals, which is the greatest success in the club’s almost 40-year history. After a successful season, the club’s management decided not to have competitive selections in the leagues under the auspices of the NZS in the 2024/25 season.
“Despite the excellent season, in which we were among the few clubs with all selections, we reluctantly made the decision to withdraw from competitions organized by the governing body. We realize that Slovenian club futsal is regressing, and the substantial financial investments of clubs are not matched by the governing body. Therefore, at this moment, we do not consider it worthwhile to spend resources that are both private and from sponsors. We are not closing the club; we are just withdrawing until the competition conditions become more attractive,” said KMN Meteorplast President Saša Makoter.
He also mentioned some facts: “If we can boast of great successes of national selections, notably the U19 national team reaching the semifinals of the European Championship, not enough has been done for club futsal in recent years. We still don’t have a league sponsor, which has been promised to us in recent years, and there is also no provision for media exposure of this sport at the national level. While local media regularly covered us, the same cannot be said for larger, so-called national media, which generally do not pay attention to futsal. Also, there are not television broadcasts of club futsal matches to the extent promised by those responsible for futsal at the NZS. Despite warnings that without media exposure, we will not be able to attract new sponsorship money and increase interest both in futsal participation and viewership, unfortunately, nothing has changed.”
Meteorplast will continue to be active in the futsal scene
The Ljutomer club also pointed out the lack of children solely dedicated to futsal, so before the 2023/24 season, they proposed that futsal matches be played during the week due to children also playing field football. “Our proposal was not followed, so many matches had to be rescheduled during the season. Clubs regularly did this, so many matches were not played on time, calling into question the regularity of the leagues. The problem then arose in the final stages of youth competitions. When it came to medals, there was no longer a friendly relationship between clubs, so many teams played numerous matches of the playoffs on weekends with incomplete squads,” said Makoter, who also highlighted the attitude of the refereeing organization towards clubs: “We wanted the finals of national championships, when medals are at stake, to be officiated by our best, international referees. However, we encountered deaf ears from those who delegate referees. We also warned the refereeing organization several times during the year not to assign certain matches to referees from the same area as the participating team or even for certain clubs who had played in the past, and it is no longer possible to talk about impartiality. Our appeals, which would certainly contribute to fewer complaints about refereeing decisions, did not have an effect. Moreover, because we dared to speak out, we were often disadvantaged by the referees, which was later confirmed by recordings and detailed analyses of matches.”
KMN Meteorplast will continue to be active in the Slovenian futsal scene. Among other things, they will organize the traditional tournament in memory of Janko Makoter on the first Saturday of December and participate in tournaments. “On this occasion, I once again congratulate all players and coaching staff for their achievements in the 2023/24 season, and thanks are due to parents, fans, field football clubs, and sponsors, without whom these successes would certainly not have been possible,” added KMN Meteorplast President Saša Makoter.
This text was automatically translated using AI.
Author: editorial Football Planet
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