“Prometey” Leaves Riga Under a Cloud: BAT Orders Club to Pay Over $200k in Unpaid Salary and Fees
The Riga chapter for Ukrainian basketball club “Sports club Prometey” has ended in a significant financial scandal. While the club used Riga, Latvia, as its home base for the 2023-2024 season , its final season is now marred by a Basketball Arbitral Tribunal (BAT) ruling ordering it to pay substantial outstanding sums to a former player and his agency.
As we know, the club has announced that it ceases its operations.
The Heart of the Dispute
The case (BAT 2199/24) was brought by Lithuanian player Mr. Arnoldas Kulboka and his agency, Wasserman France , against “Prometey”.
The dispute centered on an agreement signed on July 20, 2023, for the 2023-2024 season. The problems began after Kulboka suffered a season-ending injury around September 2023. Although the parties signed an “Amendment Agreement” on October 23, 2023, to restructure the payment schedule , the club ceased all payments from March 2024 onwards.
This left significant amounts unpaid, including the player’s salary, the agent’s commission, and, critically, the player’s medical and rehabilitation expenses. After sending a late payment notice , the claimants terminated the contract on April 18, 2024, due to the breach.
The Club’s Defense and the Arbitrator’s Rebuttal
In response to the payment demands, “Prometey” claimed in an April 15, 2024, letter that it was “impossible for Ukrainian companies to make any transfers of funds abroad”.
The Arbitrator flatly rejected this defense. The ruling noted that:
- The club’s own contract explicitly stated it would “make all arrangements necessary within the Latvian banking system” for the player to transfer his funds.
- The club had successfully made all payments before March 2024, proving it was possible.
Tellingly, “Sports club Prometey” failed to submit an Answer to the Request for Arbitration or participate in the proceedings, effectively defaulting.
The Final Bill: What “Prometey” Owes
The Arbitrator ruled decisively in favor of the claimants. “Prometey” has been ordered to pay the following:
- To Arnoldas Kulboka:
- $194,442.00 (net) for unpaid salary.
- €1,120.00 for reimbursement of medical expenses.
- Interest at 5% per annum on the outstanding amounts.
- To Wasserman France:
- $17,500.00 (net) for unpaid commission.
- Interest at 5% per annum from March 31, 2024.
- Arbitration & Legal Costs:
- The club must also pay the claimants €8,000.00 for arbitration costs and €12,500.00 as a contribution toward their legal fees.
In total, the ruling compels “Prometey” to pay over $211,000 and €21,600, plus ongoing interest—a sour financial end to the club’s time in the Latvian capital.
The claimed fee for legal services was around EUR 17.500.
In Latvia the services of the sports lawyer would cost significantly less for a case of similar volume and complexity.