By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Cibona is scheduled to visit Borac Mozzart in Round 1 of the AdmiralBet ABA League Regular Season tomorrow. Financial issues put Sunday’s game and the regional campaign in jeopardy.
Despite lacking the FIBA Letter of Clearance for three new players, the team based in Zagreb requested permission to register Alex Stein, Domagoj Proleta, and Tomislav Buljan to ABA, per MeridianBetSport. The league based in countries of former Yugoslavia possibly bypassing FIBA can generate a series of reactions.
The Adriatic League is private, and thus can potentially grant Cibona’s request. However, the International Basketball Federation would likely promptly respond to such a decision.
The first step was Cedevita Olimpija, Partizan Mozzart Bet, Mornar-Barsko zlato, Buducnost VOLI, Igokea m:tel, and Cibona itself voting in favor of allowing the registration of the players, as noted in the report on the status of the team. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet, Mega MIS, and FMP Soccerbet voted against it. Out of the remaining ABA clubs with the right to vote, Zadar did not deliver before the deadline and Krka declined to act.
Tipping off the 2023-24 campaign via Croatia’s FAVBET Premijer Liga with plenty of teenagers suiting up, the team coached by Jaksa Vulic lost to Zadar on Thursday. Under FIBA regulations and pending settling debts with 11 players, the three aforementioned newcomers were ineligible to feature in the lineup. In contrast to private ABA, the top-tier division of Croatia is organized by the country’s Basketball Federation, HKS.
The new investors of Cibona have been dealing with financial issues since taking over in May.
Photo Credit: ABA-Liga.com