The Slovak Football Association (SFZ) is facing turmoil. Following a contentious election conference where Ján Kováčik secured a fifth term, former SFZ Executive Committee member Peter Sepeši has warned of a loss of credibility.
In an exclusive interview, Sepeši openly discussed a multi-million euro mobile phone scandal, a perceived lack of critical thinking among delegates, and how the forceful political intervention of Sports Minister Rudolf Huliak paradoxically benefited the long-serving president. ŠPORT.sk has the full story.
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Ján Kováčik will continue to lead the Slovak Football Association (SFZ). He received a vote of confidence from delegates at a conference held in Bratislava on Friday, confirming him as president of Slovakia’s largest sports organization.
The SFZ election conference at the end of February reaffirmed Ján Kováčik’s position as president. Yet, the event garnered significant public attention due to mounting financial pressures on the association and questions surrounding the unexplained mobile phone scandal.
The accumulated problems have severely damaged the SFZ’s credibility. Lawyer and prosecutor Peter Sepeši also lost faith in the organization’s leader. Sepeši, who previously oversaw legal and legislative matters for the SFZ Executive Committee, left his position after the conference, replaced by Peter Vachan after more than 15 years with the association.
A co-author of the sports law, Sepeši explains to ŠPORT.sk where he sees the biggest cracks in Slovak football and why he warned colleagues about the questionable position of Ján Kováčik.
After the election conference, your role within the SFZ structures ended. Before that, however, you sent a letter to colleagues warning of several irregularities and explaining your loss of confidence in Ján Kováčik. How do you view your departure in retrospect?
“It wasn’t just one letter. I prepared a total of four documents, but as far as I know, only one made it to the public. They were primarily intended for internal processes. I tried to consistently and responsibly prepare materials for the highest bodies of the association, in accordance with the statutes and my mission in Slovak football, so that they could be properly discussed and decisions made – holding people accountable, conducting an independent audit, proposing changes to the processes where failures occurred.
I went into it expecting that, despite the problematic situation, it would be an ideal opportunity to force people to think critically. It was a chance to reveal whether we make informed decisions or are simply part of a group that sticks together solely out of fear of the consequences.
I consider the 41 votes I ultimately received to be extremely promising. As many as 41 delegates were able and willing to think freely and express a desire for me to continue overseeing the legislative and legal area from the perspective of the interests of Slovak football, and not from the perspective of the SFZ leadership. I was only three votes short of being re-elected.”
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Ján Kováčik will continue to lead the Slovak Football Association (SFZ). Despite the difficulties surrounding the mobile phone purchase scandal and the conflict between SFZ President Ján Kováčik and Sports Minister Rudolf Huliak, he won the elections for the fifth time in a row.
So, you would say you view this result as a positive, even though the conference itself went differently for you?
“Yes, but I’m all the more disappointed by the situation. I had genuine respect for President Kováčik until recently. I supported him for a long time. He created a space for a community of honest, dedicated lawyers who live and breathe football, and he protected it from interference by officials in decision-making.
He supported professional activities, conferences, and education. Legislative processes within the SFZ functioned at a better level than within the state itself. They were fundamentally managed by experts with serious review procedures.
When that works for 15 years, you simply believe. The disappointment is all the harder as a result. The people whose credibility you’ve legitimized for years with your expertise and conscientious work in the best interests of Slovak football ultimately let you know they no longer need you, because you’re supposed to do things for them, or according to them.
As soon as you point out a serious flaw and the need for accountability, the response is to try to place in a loyal person who is likely to remain quietly obedient in a critical situation.”
Huliak Achieved the Opposite
Sports Minister Rudolf Huliak strongly intervened before the vote, directly attacking President Kováčik. Did this have an impact on the election outcome?
“I think it was significant. To a large extent, it also negated my analytical work for the association bodies and the seriousness of the findings. Delegates had no reason to distrust my materials after 15 years of perceiving my person, way of thinking, and work. Many people in football without a legal education admitted to me that they clearly saw what a ‘mess’ it was and that it was necessary to hold someone accountable.
But then the minister started openly hunting the SFZ president. That bothered me too. Instead of the association resolving its problems fairly on its own, someone from the outside is trying to dictate terms to us. Sports autonomy is protected by FIFA, UEFA, and Olympic Charter regulations. Incidentally, I find it extremely disturbing that the Slovak Olympic and Sports Committee remained completely silent and did not get involved in this situation.”
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The Slovak Football Association (SFZ) was without state funds for three months, experts warned. Sports Minister Rudolf Huliak remained firm in his decision not to release funds to the association. He finally did, and is now explaining why. The football organization also faces criminal charges.
This political intervention had a purely negative effect, and the minister achieved exactly the opposite. People who might have already been inclined to support change and discuss accountability ultimately backed down. Their instinct for self-preservation kicked in, and the principle: ‘The minister won’t tell us who should be president’ prevailed. I fully understand this attitude and it was directly reflected in the vote.”
The Problem Lies with the Individual
The association is struggling with a difficult financial situation and high liabilities. What is the biggest obstacle for the SFZ at the moment?
“The problem is again with the individual. Even President Kováčik mentioned that we could create new statutes and regulations. But if there are no prepared people who have properly read and understood the budgets and other important materials, it won’t support. If you followed the conference, you saw the abysmal lack of discussion. It repeats itself year after year.
If Messrs. Jozef Antošík, Ondrej Brendza, and Ľubomír Eperješi hadn’t spoken up, there would have been no substantive discussion about the budget. The subsequent reaction from SFZ Chief Accountant Andrea Hlboká to the delegates was, in my opinion, undignified. As someone responsible for the budget, she should have prepared arguments and explained them humbly. The SFZ should be a transparent service organization providing services to its members, but it didn’t feel that way…
Delegates receive materials a week in advance. They don’t have to put on a show directly at the conference; they can meet beforehand and write down objections. However, critical thinking is lacking. The association has an approved balanced budget, but This proves burdened by long-term liabilities.
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Ján Kováčik successfully won his fifth presidential election at the Slovak Football Association (SFZ). After being re-elected to the position, he was visibly uncomfortable answering uncomfortable questions from the attending media.
In business, you simply have deals that work and those that fail. However, the pressure to resolve these shortcomings must arrive directly from the highest bodies, which, unfortunately, are also more political than professional in football. I am convinced that people in Slovak football ‘are capable of more.’ We are evolving.”
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The mobile phone scandal is a real threat to the SFZ in the future?
“It’s a very real threat. The association has a difficult situation even without regard to the phone cases. If creditors pursue their claims aggressively – and we’re talking about amounts of five million euros or more – the SFZ may face the question of whether it would be better to go directly into bankruptcy.
What is the total value of the association’s assets compared to its liabilities? I find it unacceptable to close ranks and resolve this quietly within internal processes. We are a national sports association, 50 to 60% of our financial resources come directly from the state.
Any problem must therefore be solved clearly, fairly, and publicly, because football is a matter of public interest. I also found it extremely disturbing that the Slovak Olympic and Sports Committee remained completely silent and did not get involved.
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Regarding the phones specifically – President Kováčik mentioned approximately 6,000 phones, but other sources cited a figure of 75,000 or more. Why is the association even pursuing mass digitization with mobile phones when everyone has their own smartphone today? The whole case seems highly suspicious.
“The preliminary interest in 75,000 phones was denied. From my position within the association, we only perceived this area marginally and had no idea why such a quantity would be purchased. It is perfectly legitimate to question why the president involved the association in such a dubious business.
Even if it were only 6,000 phones, although the contract called for 14,000. They were phones worth 50 to 70 euros. Every official, player, or coach has their own and better phone. What is the huge administrative burden – taking over, distributing, signing handover protocols? Why is the association wasting energy and time on something like this?
It’s been almost two years, and the phones are still available somewhere. It’s all economically and legally, especially after reviewing the contractual documentation, questionable and completely incomprehensible.”
Rybníček’s Proposal Was Well Received
AS Trenčín General Manager Róbert Rybníček directly proposed suspending Kováčik’s position and conducting a thorough audit at the conference. How did you perceive this moment?
“I very much welcomed this proposal. Imagine you are a conference delegate. You have media articles in front of you, suspicious agreements, and a warning letter from an Executive Committee member. You have to be confused.
If you are a just person and care about football, it is a logical managerial step to temporarily suspend the position, conduct a quick audit, and find out the facts. Based on that, You can decide whether to discipline the president or proceed to new elections. A recall would be difficult, because it requires a 70% majority (61+ votes), but suspending the function only required 44 votes.
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