Money Originally Intended for Firefighting: Čović's Zrinjski and Nikšić's Velež Each Receive 1.5 Million KM from FBiH Budget

(Patria) - Football Club (FK) Zrinjski, essentially managed by Vice-President Amir Gross Kabiri, will receive 1.5 million marks from the Federation of BiH budget.

The other Mostar club, Velež, will receive an identical amount. The decision to allocate the money was made by the Government of the Federation of BiH, headed by Nermin Nikšić, writes Istraga.ba.

"The Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, at its 23rd session held on December 22, 2023, makes a Decision on supplementing the decision on adopting the Program for the expenditure of funds with criteria for the distribution of funds 'capital transfers to other levels of government and funds - construction of the sports hall Mostar and other sports facilities in Mostar determined by the FBiH budget for 2023'," it is stated in the Decision, by which a total of six and a half million marks were transferred to Mostar.

The funds will be distributed, the FBiH Government decided, to the following beneficiaries: costs of construction of the KSC facility in Mostar: 3,500,000.00 KM, costs of construction/reconstruction of FK Velež: 1,500,000.00 KM, costs of construction/reconstruction of FK Zrinjski: 1,500,000.00 KM.

Let us remind you, with the initial FBiH budget proposal for 2023, the previous FBiH Government planned to allocate 3.5 million marks for the construction of a sports hall in Mostar.

However, the parties of the Trojka and HDZ, when adopting the budget, decided to add another two million marks to this item, taking that amount from the allocation originally planned for the procurement of aircraft for firefighting.

With an amendment by HDZ in March last year, the very name of the item was changed, so after the words 'construction of the sports hall Mostar', the words 'other sports facilities in the city' were added.

Thus, formally, space was opened for the construction of facilities owned by Zrinjski and Velež.

With the last amendment to the FBiH budget at the end of last year, this item was strengthened by an additional million marks, meaning that a total of 6.5 million marks were planned for the 'construction of the sports hall and other sports facilities in Mostar'.

After that, on December 22, 2023, the FBiH Government made a decision and approved 1.5 million marks each for Zrinjski and Velež from that allocation.

The coalition at the level of the Federation of BiH consists of the Trojka parties led by SDP and HDZ BiH. Nermin Nikšić, a declared Velež fan, heads the SDP and the FBiH Government. Dragan Čović, a declared Zrinjski fan, heads the HDZ BiH.