Opponents owned by Russian tycoon
Jul 26 2005
For the love of GodNo they almost certainly would not, but it is hardly relevant. Would those three have been so much better than Chelsea over the past couple of decades...
By Ian Doyle, Daily Post
THE average Liverpool supporter would be forgiven for knowing little to nothing about tonight's opposition.
But FBK Kaunas can lay claim to being the Lithuanian Chelsea. Well, of sorts.
The reason for this is owner Vladimir Romanov. While his estimated £260million fortune is a mere drop in the ocean compared to Roman Abramovich, the Russian oligarch has much in common with his more wealthy comrade.
wrongwhat in a 15 pound per night grothole excuse for a b and b? See above point. also I would suspect he got to keep his key...
Not only does Romanov own the club, the Lithuanian bank he set up in 1989, Ukio Bankas, sponsor the team. And similar to the way Abramovich has a stake in CSKA Moscow, Romanov's business help to fund Minsk MTZ-RIPO of Belarus.
Of course, that's not to mention the 29.9% controlling stake Romanov acquired in Scottish team Hearts, who have since been flooded with Lithuanian executives and players.
Even the quaint Dariaus ir Garina Stadium has a story behind its name.
Dariaus and Garina are the names of two gliders who attempted a non-stop flight between New York and Kaunas in 1933, only to perish after a premature fall into a village near to Berlin. The stadium is named in their memory.
As for the team itself, FBK Kaunas have a pedigree in Lithuanian football having won the league for the past six seasons.
However, the last success came with only a three-point margin and cost coach Valdas Ivanauskas his job. Aleksandr Piskariov is currently in charge of a team which is in danger of relinquishing its grip on the title, lying 12 points adrift of the leaders Ekranas in second place.
The pitch is hardly the most conducive to good football, but Liverpool should win.
