KIEV. Aug 7: Dynamo Kiev, one of the former So IVT Jr] 'del Union's rich-est teams, is gloomily facing the new soccer se ason with debts of
dollar 2 million and a line-up of demoralised players, clubs officials say. reports Reuter.
Chief coach Mikhallo Fomenko said on Friday the players had not been paid for four months. "There have been shortages of football kit, balls and even mineral water," he said.
Businessman Hrlgory Surkls. appointed as the new chib president said Dynamo, who dominate Ukraine's fledgling soccer league, had debts of dollar 2 million.
It's unbelievable — we sold 16 of our best players to the most prestigious' European clubs and had dollar 12 million on our books Just a few yearS ago. Now we are bankrupt," Surkls said.
A meeting of players, coaches and other team managers last month voted to sack chief executive Viktor Bezverkhity. accusing him of misma naging the side and running up huge debts.
Fomenko said infighting at the club Bezverkhity strongly denies the charges and has said he will contest the decision to sack him — could affect the players as the new season starts Sunday.
"Football players are human beings, they are not machines. And they are under strong pres sure from the club's former management to reverse their decision,* Fomenko said in an Interview.
Fomenko, a former Dynamo player, said he also wanted Bezverkhity out. "The team has made its choice and I fully back the players,' he said.
Surkls told a news conference on Thursday that the previous management had set up 26 joint ventures and small enterprises which had nothing to do with soccer.
Kiev, who reached the semi-
finals of last season's European Cup, look to. stand little chance against Barcelona in their first-round cup tic next month.
Bezverkhity has threatened to send a letter to UEFA asking them to disqualify Dynamo from the European Cup, saying Surkls has turned the club into a new company which Is not the legal successor to the team which won last year's championship.
The disarray at the club is a far from the days when Dynamo. who carried off the European Cup Winner's Cup in 1975 and 1986. dominated the Soviet league. They won the championship five times between 1979 and 1991.