The Champions League qualifying campaign has just got a whole lot more complicated for Lithuanian champions FK Kauno Zalgiris. A pre-arranged concert by US rapper Pitbull, which promises to be a sell-out event, has forced the club to relocate their crucial home fixture against KI of the Faroe Islands – and that's bad news for football fans craving a crack at the continent's top clubs.
Zalgiris secured their place in the second qualifying round earlier this week with a 4-3 aggregate victory over Kosovo champions Drita, after a 3-2 win in the second leg. Now, they'll face Faroese champions KI in a two-legged tie – but it's going to be a very different atmosphere for the return leg, which was originally scheduled at their 15,000-seater Darius and Girenas Stadium in Kaunas.
The club had no idea they'd be making European history when they booked Pitbull for a concert at their home stadium on July 31. The scheduling clash has left them scrambling to find an alternative venue – efforts to swap the home and away legs were reportedly unsuccessful, largely due to the Faroe Islands' national holidays and policing demands from HB, who are hosting Motherwell in the Conference League on 30 July.
So, Zalgiris will now host their 'home' leg against KI at Jonava's smaller stadium, which can accommodate just over 2,500 fans. It's a significant downgrade – and one that has drawn criticism from head coach Zeljko Sopic, who described the situation as "what it is".
Chairman Mantas Kalnietis acknowledged the potential clash but argued that concerts like this are vital to their organisation's finances. "For the stadium, concerts like this bring in a major source of revenue – and for the city’s residents, it's also a great time," he told The Guardian. But not everyone agrees, with Lithuanian football federation president Edgaras Stankevicius describing the double booking as "really unfortunate" and detrimental to the development of their sport.