By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The ABA League j.t.d. Assembly did not make a final decision but will conclude next week on whether to approve an expansion to Dubai.
Reconsidering financial terms and deciding to postpone the decision to next week, league officials want more money, as reported by Mozzart Sport. The offer from Dubai stands at 1.5 million euros and will not improve but can end up with the Arabs considering other options, per Meridian sport.
However, the official press release used a much more formal tone on the issue: “BC Dubai representatives have been guests at the ABA League j.t.d. Assembly session and have presented their long-term offer and sports-business vision related to joining the ABA League family from the 2024/25 season.
All of the ABA League j.t.d. Assembly members appeared very positive and open to the presented project of BC Dubai joining the ABA League j.t.d., which created the foundations for further discussions and final decision related to this topic, that will be made in the shortest possible time.
The continuation of the ABA League j.t.d. Assembly session is scheduled for 19 March 2024″
On a related topic, Eurohoops shared breaking news on Monday regarding Dubai establishing a connection with Euroleague Basketball. Seeking action in European basketball, a team based in the most populous city of the United Arab Emirates, UAE, is heading to the 2024-25 edition of the BKT EuroCup and potentially to the ABA League as well, depending on next week’s decision.
A Dubai team was featured in a junior tournament organized by ABA. Suiting up promising youngsters from various countries, the Falcons Academy registered one win across three outings in the U19 ABA League championship in November.
A private regional league, ABA has welcomed teams beyond countries of former Yugoslavia, such as Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, and North Macedonia. In earlier installments, clubs based in Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, and Israel competed in ABA, including Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv being crowned champion in 2012. However, the last appearance by a team based outside the traditional borders dates back to the 2014-15 season.