Sirius has received more than four million crowns in financial support during the Corona pandemic.
Now Tillväxtverket is demanding a refund.
– Contrary to the decision, we believe we were in dire need of support when it started, club manager Christer Abrahamson tells Sirius’ website.
Many Allsvenskan clubs laid off their staff when the start of the Allsvenskan was postponed during the pandemic. This means that the clubs received financial support from the state.
But Tillväxtverket has demanded a refund from several clubs. The latest is Sirius, who has to repay just over four million kroner.
– We think it is very sad to receive this letter. We believe we have provided sufficient information and arguments to justify our support for the layoff and, contrary to the decision, we believe we were in dire need of support when it began. Therefore, it is clear for us to appeal the decision and then let the process run its course, as many other federations in elite sports have done, said club director Christer Abrahamson.
A safe financial platform
This announcement is a huge blow to Sirius, who has nonetheless improved her finances.
During the pandemic, this support has been very critical for us to be able to retain most of our staff and thus be able to maintain normal operations. Without demobilization support, we would not have been able to run the large-scale elite business that our practitioners and members are accustomed to. Now, at the end of 2022, we have been able to build a stable and secure financial platform that will enable us to repay the needed support without having to give up on our strategic initiatives and goals in order to further grow the business, says Abrahamson.
AIK and Gif Sundsvall are two other clubs that have made millions of dollars.