Goran Pandev: emancipated Macedonian
Anyone remember the name Goran Pandev? If you’re a Lazio fan, it sounds vaguely familiar… ah yes! He was the Macedonian striker leading the line until this past summer, when he dared hand a transfer request to club president Claudio Lotito and then found himself exiled from the starting XI, a man without a nation (hey, which kinda mirrors what happened to his countrymen in the late-80s/early-90s until gaining independence).
In a funny twist he’s been granted freedom once again, this time by the Italian League’s governing body who have ordered Lazio to release the striker from his contract. Lega Calcio ruled that Lotito’s vindictiveness was unfair and unjust, and so the club will release him and pay 160,000 euros to Pandev in punitive costs and legal costs.
Lotito is notorious for holding a grudge; so enraged was the president that he kept a guy who scored 14 in Serie A last season for the club far on the sidelines while his team struggled in 2009/10, winning just 3 games and sitting 16th at the season’s halfway point. That’s some impressive display of principles, Mr. Lotito. Just watch the Macedonian thrive at Juve, Inter or Roma after the January transfer window.
Can anyone pick him up? We’ve been linked with him every window for the last three years …
My understanding is that he’s the equivalent of a free agent. He can sign with anyone he likes…
Ahh, the nice part of Bulgaria comes up once again.
jjf3 is right, Georger. Pandev’s fair game for the world
So an awesome striker is available for free?
Yep, pretty much. I fully expect LFC to bottle it and that Pandev will stay in Serie A and move to one of the bigger/richer clubs.