Europe’s basketball governing body, FIBA Europe, is open to hold talks with Euroleague to find a solution for the ongoing feud between the two organizations, but does not rule out further sanctions, according to FIBA Exec Dir for Europe Kamil Novak. The 49-year-old former Czech int'l is convinced the Basketball Champions League "will prevail" when everything is said and done. The battle over the direction of European club basketball took a turn for the worse last week when FIBA Europe suspended 14 member nations for their association with the continent's premier club competition. Those federations, should they not cut their ties with Euroleague, which is run by Euroleague Commercial Assets, will lose their right to participate in senior men's national team competitions, including the Olympic Games. “As the governing body of our sport we sometimes have to take very difficult and painful decisions to protect the basketball family,” Novak, who also sits on the Basketball Champions League’s board of directors, said. “Our member federations are the governing body of our sport in their respective territories. In essence, our board has sent a reminder to our federations about what their mission is.” FIBA's move prompted Euroleague CEO Jordi Bertomeu to accuse the governing body of a "power" grab. But FIBA Europe believes that the ECA’s “closed” competition model, which will see only 16 instead of 24 teams participate in the Euroleague starting in ’16-17, is counterproductive for the growth of basketball in Europe. ECA’s second-tier competition, the Eurocup, will also be reduced from 36 to 24 teams next season. In both competitions, several spots have been pre-allocated to certain clubs regardless of their performance in their respective domestic leagues.
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This model, Novak said, led to FIBA Europe’s decision to launch an alternative in the form of the Basketball Champions League. “In Europe, in all sports, teams who play in pan-European club competitions, are meant to qualify on merit, based on how they fare at their domestic leagues,” he said. “Investors will not come if we close the door on their face. Fans will leave our sport if they know that their team will never get a chance to play at the top European level because somebody else will always be there, irrespective of how they rank domestically.”
NOT BACKING DOWN: FIBA’s vision is to create a “clear and fair structure” for club competitions in Europe that represents a majority of clubs in Europe, Novak said. The governing body has no intention to engage in a legal battle with Euroleague but is willing to defend its principles by any means necessary. “We think this [would] relegate the image of our sport, not to mention cost and other issues,” Novak said. “We deem this as to be the last resort available in everything that we do and this case is no different.” FIBA’s Exec Committee made another attempt to resolve the issue outside of courtrooms by inviting ECA to a meeting this week. The current struggle for power over European club basketball is not a “threat but an opportunity,” Novak said. “We want to keep positive and we prefer to see the glass half full rather than half empty,” he said. “Basketball Champions League, we believe, is the right way forward for the development and growth of the sport across Europe. This healthy competition is essential for basketball. It will not only protect the national leagues, but will dramatically increase their value."
