Serious financial problems in "Spartanii-Sportul" appeared with the arrival of Ghanaian investor Nana Yau Amponsah // Photo: fmf.md
In an interview with scor.md, Viorel Cojocaru responded to the accusations of the recently appointed club administrator Ion Quasnicki in attempts to “illegally take possession of the club and remove from the management of the people who actually founded the club and brought it to the Super League”.
Cojocaru is convinced that a raid has taken place, involving Ghanaian-born investor Nana Yau Amponsah, general director Veniamin Sosnovsky, Andrian Sosnovsky, recently appointed head coach, managers Nikolai Mudryk, Vladimir Moraru and administrator Ion Kvasnicki. According to Cojocaru, he was removed from the management in the main team by blackmail and certain manipulations.
According to the former Spartanii-Sportul manager, the FMF is aware of this and supports the “invaders”. Cojocaru claims that former head coach Igor Ursaki and goalkeepers coach Andrian Bogdan also knew about the upcoming “coup” in the management staff, but “acting only for profit, allowed them to manage”. “Ursaki and Bogdan played against me. They know very well that the salaries of players and technical staff were paid solely due to my efforts. I extracted funds for doctors’ services, for the rent of the pitch and stadium in Nisporeni, for transportation, for the treatment of injured players… Without my persistence, no one would have received anything,” the suspended official said.
Cojocaru intends to seek proceedings on the possible realization of fraudulent schemes and has already applied to the Prosecutor General’s Office and the NCBC. “I entered the project with the aim of developing talented players from our Sportul academy. I did not impose myself on anyone, on the contrary, I was approached by people from Selemet village (where the club “Spartanii” was previously stationed – ed.) As it turned out later, they wanted to use us in their dirty schemes, including the organization of contractual matches. It hit the image of the club. The debts they left are still hanging: some guys have not received their salaries. I tried to close these holes. We’ll see how things will develop. I am waiting for the court’s decision. Our goal is not to destroy the club or to undo the great work that has been done – to reach the Super League. We want to restore order. There are people who violate all sporting principles and who do not belong here,” emphasized the former technical director of Spartanii-Sportul.
According to Viorel Cojocaru, the Sosnovski brothers and investor Nana Iau Amponsah have not even fulfilled half of their promises made when they came to the club. “My biggest mistake was believing the criminals. Mikhail Usatiy (president of Petrocub – ed.) was smarter: he realized who he was dealing with and kicked them out. Now these people are using the money of Sportul Academy, managing our funds – and this is already a crime,” he said.
The ex-director of Spartanii-Sportul also spoke separately about investor Nana Yau Amponsah, who, according to him, has accumulated huge debts. “He paid for the application of 11 legionnaires, covered the costs of maintaining the base in Nisporeni for several months, from July to November last year he provided transportation and food for the players. Then he left Moldova and never returned, leaving seven months’ salaries unpaid, debts for transportation and the restaurant where his players ate. The players were virtually starving and called me. There were also debts to the police (for ensuring order during matches – ed.), doctors, as well as payment for the base in Nisporeni until March this year. Some employees of the club still have not received all the money. In addition, large additional agreements were signed bypassing the tax office. We have received sanctions from FIFA on foreign players. For example, in the case of Isaac Oppong (Ghanaian international – ed. note) – €65 thousand just for the fact that the waiver of compensation for his training was not formalized. There are many such examples – they seriously hit the club’s finances,” said Cojocaru.
At the moment the accounts of the club and the academy, which has no legal relation to Spartanii, are blocked by an investor from Ghana and it is impossible to make any actions. “I have been looking for solutions together with lawyers, I appealed to the federation, explaining that we need to at least close the most urgent expenses: salaries to academy coaches, payments to players who have to support their families, settlements with suppliers. Since January and until now I personally paid for the team’s transportation, food, rent of apartments, maintenance of foreigners. And now these people have woken up and say that they have a team, although they have not invested a single euro in it,” concluded the head of the academy “Sportul”.
After 11 rounds of the current Superliga season, “Spartanii-Sportul” is in the last, eighth place. The club suffered 10 defeats in the championship, with only one draw.
