By Aris Barkas/ info@eurohoops.net
A representative from Spain’s Popular Party, Santiago Fisas, co-president of the Sports Intergroup of the European Parliament, has asked the European Commission about the sanction imposed by FIBA upon national basketball federations and has requested that the EU executive take measures to stop the restrictive practices and abuses that the international federation of basketball is applying.
FIBA has recently imposed a sanction upon the most important basketball national teams, prohibiting their participation in the Olympic Games of Rio de Janeiro this summer and in the next EuroBasket.
In a written question presented to the European Commission, Fisas points out that this prohibition contravenes a resolution passed on March 10, 2015 in the annual report on competition policy in the EU which “urged the Commission to investigate restrictive and abusive practices by international sports federations, such as denying its members the right to participate in alternative sporting events not authorized by the respective federations or, when the foregoing is not fulfilled, imposing upon athletes, coaches and delegates life bans from participating in Olympic Games and World Championships.”
For this reason, Fisas has requested the intercession of the European Commission in order to try to find an urgent solution to this problem.
At the same time, the Popular Party representative has also urged FIBA “to search for a solution through dialogue with the Euroleague and the various clubs and European leagues, given that it’s impossible for a competition to exist without the participation of the clubs and players. It’s essential that all parties sit at the table and arrive at an agreement that is satisfactory to everyone.”
“Basketball and its fans should not be harmed by this situation, and for that reason it’s important that FIBA seeks dialogue before imposing sanctions. It’s unthinkable that the Olympic Games in Rio may be played without the participation of important national teams such as Spain, Greece, Italy or Lithuania,” he added.
Fisas also highlighted that “from the Sports Intergroup of the European Parliament, we wish to encourage dialogue between all parties so that in the end they arrive at a good agreement that permits European basketball to be able to compete with other international leagues.”
The question presented to the European Commission has been backed also by the other co-president of the Sports Intergroup of the European Parliament, Marc Tarabella of Belgium, by the Intergroup vice presidents Bogdan Wenta of Poland and Julie Girling of United Kingdom, as well by secretary Theodoros Zagorakis of Greece and representative Stefano Maullu of Italy.