Spanish Minister of Education, Culture & Sport Iñigo Méndez de Vigo said that the Spanish Basketball League's (ACB) entrance tax is "exorbitant," according to AS. He appealed to the ACB to withdraw it, as if it does not, "the Government will when it is able to." Méndez de Vigo recognized that the rules that regulate promotion and relegation in the ACB "do not make any sense." He said, "I believe that what a team, with the help of its fans, earns on the court should not be lost because there is an established financial demand." He also pointed out that the ACB "has on the table" an order from Spain's National Commission of Markets & Competition (CNMC). That order "is not firm," as it is allegations that have been presented, but it is "decisive." Méndez de Vigo said he trusts that all the conflicts generated by the tax will be "resolved" (AS, 7/11).
REAL BETIS TO THE RESCUE?: In Madrid, Antonio Cejas reported ACB club Sevilla is facing "one of the most difficult moments in its nearly 30-year history as it learns whether it will be able to continue competing next season." La Liga side Real Betis has appeared in this situation by offering to lend its name to Sevilla to "collaborate and help it avoid disappearing." The football club "does not negatively view this option, as long as it does not mean investing money, at least for now." Real Betis President Ángel Haro "believes that at the moment, all of the club's economic potential should be focused on football." But Real Betis execs believe the "media attention" the club would give to Sevilla would be "very significant, above all in areas like social relevance, an increase in members and the ease with which its fans could access special prices to attend basketball games" (MARCA, 7/11).
