Združenje nogometnih klubov 1. SNL (English: Association of football clubs of 1. SNL), commonly referred to as Združenje 1. SNL (Association of 1. SNL), is the governing body of Slovenian highest level of football, 1. SNL. Their members are professional football clubs that are participating in the Slovenian first division and each club has one representative.[1] Branko Florjančič is the current president of the organization.[1] The history of Slovenian first division, 1. SNL, started in 1991 after the independence of Slovenia when the best Slovenian clubs were joined into a league, then governed by Football Association of Slovenia who were governing the league up until January 2001 when Association of 1. SNL effectively took over.[2] The change happened in compliance with the rules of Football Association of Slovenia, UEFA and FIFA.[2] The organization was originally founded in 1993 and combined the interests of all clubs, members of the first division.[2]
Contents |
The Association of 1. SNL is a voluntary, independent and non-profit organization of football clubs of Slovenian first division, 1. SNL, who's vision is meant to exercise its activities, development of work and business connected with organizing and implementation of the league, including mutual improvements of conditions of the game and the competing system, mutual development of human resources policy and other mutual common interests in development and progression of the game of football.[3]
Recently the Association is a target for criticism by the media, that is demanding a reorganization of the league's governing body and increasing the influence of Football Association of Slovenia.[4] One of the criticism is that the league is without the main general sponsor for couple of seasons now, and it does not look like that Association of 1. SNL will find any anytime soon.[4] According to the media the Association that governs the league of a country that is continiously fighting and qualifiyng to the biggest international tournaments, should not have any problems in convincing and finding a general sponsor if they would do their job properly.[4] Especially since some countries, such as Latvia, Faroe Islands, Malta, Luxembourg etc. and also Kosovo, which is not even an UEFA member, have general sponsors in their respective leagues while their national team and clubs does not enjoy any major success on international stage.[4] The other main concern for the league is that the league's clubs are struggling, season after season, with huge financial difficulties and some of them are barely surviving by the end of the season.[4] After every season clubs that gain promotion from Slovenian second division, 2. SNL, are rejecting the possibility of advancing into top division.[5] NK Primorje, a team that played in the 2010–11 Slovenian PrvaLiga, is the last case of financial troubles that Slovenian clubs are facing and, due to a financial debt, did not gain a license from the Football Association of Slovenia to compete under their jurisdiction (top three tiers of Slovenian football).[6] Zlatko Zahovič director of football at the most successful Slovenian club, NK Maribor, recently made a comment that the Association of 1. SNL should be disbanded or that at the very least Branko Florjančič, current president of the organization, should resign and give the chance to someone more competent.[7] Zahovič also stated that the Association in its current form serves no purpuse.[7]