By Niki Bakouli/ bakouli@eurohoops.net
It was clear from the start that in order to have a motion of censure against FIBA Europe president Olafur Rafnsson, as Mindaugas Balciunas, the secretary general of the Lithuanian basketball federation, has said, there should be an official document filed at least from 15 national federations. Blaciunas insisted that 28 federations-members were ready to support the motion of censure, because they believed that the current president does not defend European basketball interests in the best way, and after all he seems to be right.
Sources from FIBA Europe confirmed to Eurohoops that the number of national federations that filed the documents are more than 15 and now the process is at the point of validating the stamps and signatures of the federations-members. It’s just a formality and soon enough there should be an official announcement for an emergency general assembly. There the future of the current presidency will be decided, because, as usual, the devil is in the details.
The FIBA Europe charter does not foresee the possibility of election, without first a resignation of the President, not even after a motion of censure against him. So, lawyers from both sides will have a field day and the federations in favor of the motion of censure should fight in the assembly, if they want to succeed in their “coup d’état”.
If you don’t remember, everything started after the decision of FIBA Europe executive committee to
fire FIBA Europe secretary general, Nar Zanolin.