FIBA on Tuesday met with representatives of top European clubs and Euroleague officials to take a step forward in the process to launch a new European top club competition, the "Basketball Champions League." Held under the leadership of FIBA VP and FIBA Europe President Turgay Demirel and FIBA Secretary General Patrick Baumann, the meeting brought together a delegation of the top European clubs : Fenerbahçe (Maurizio Gherardini), Maccabi Tel Aviv (Shimon Mizrahi, David Federman), Olympiacos (George Skindilias) and Real Madrid (Juan Carlos Sánchez-Lázaro Carrasco). The clubs were accompanied by Euroleague President & CEO Jordi Bertomeu and COO Edward Scott. The meeting's objective was for all parties to work together for the growth of the game in Europe and leave behind 15 years of strained relationships. The new competition proposed by FIBA would be jointly owned by the top European clubs (50%) and FIBA and its investors (50%). The proposal says that competing clubs will receive annual guaranteed payments of €30M ($33M) (FIBA). Euroleague clubs expressed a common view that basketball has demonstrated enormous growth not only in terms of club competitions, but also in terms of national team competitions. The Euroleague delegation will perform due diligence with the updated proposal before providing feedback to FIBA (Euroleague).
OUT WITH THE OLD?: In Barcelona, José Ignacio Huguet wrote FIBA has the intention of "replacing the current Euroleague" with its Basketball Champions League. The meeting "was preceded by long months of tension between both parties and visits by FIBA representatives to the top European clubs to try to add them to FIBA's cause." Both parties "were satisfied" leaving the meeting, which was faced with a constructive spirit to avoid a schism "that would be fatal for European basketball" (MUNDO DEPORTIVO, 11/3).
