By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Euroleague CEO Jordi Bertomeu admitted in his press conference in Tel Aviv before the game of Maccabi vs Crvena Zvezda, the new structure of continental European leagues will not have a place for a Euroleague qualifying round.
As you may remember, Euroleague is going to change the way the berths in the competition are given and that will put an end to the whole licensing system, getting also wildcards out of the way. That’s why the qualifying round will not be needed, since the best teams from Eurocup will get “promoted” each season in Euroleague.
Bertomeu who also presented Devin Smith with the December MVP award, once more repeated that Euroleague and the clubs are not thrilled with the idea of national team games during the season, something already fixed in the new FIBA calender. Also, Euroleague’s CEO seems to be satisfied with the way both Galatasaray and Crvena Zvezda are handling the tragic incident of Marko Ivanovic’s death: “They are sending a message to convince people this is a sport and has nothing to do with violence”.