By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Jordi Bertomeu spoke to Greek newspaper “Ta Nea” in regards to the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the competition’s plans for next season, how canceling the 2019-20 campaign was the right decision to make, as well as the rumor mill surrounding Panathinaikos.
“I believe Panathinaikos will stay with us. There was a similar issue in the past but there is no official announcement by the club. Teams know they are in the elite of basketball and future outside the EuroLeague isn’t going to be bright”, said Bertomeu when asked to address the rumors of a possible Panathinaikos departure from the competition.
The EuroLeague Chairman, President, and CEO then gave an overview of the financial data in regards to next season, while mentioned that EuroLeague is already in talks with sponsors for the next campaign.
“Without a doubt, all teams need to adjust but I don’t see a big reaction. Euroleague has an aggregated league business of €421.2M, which by the way increased 20.7% compared to last season. Obviously, this amount will decrease next season but we are working together with the clubs to help them increase their profit. The pandemic is not over yet and in many of our markets, the situation remains difficult. Now we examine the financial repercussions upon canceling the season and we adjust our plans to reality. We have already started talking with sponsors in order to reach new deals”.
“We examined a lot of scenarios and tried to be ready for each one of them. There was a strong plan that went into great detail about games taking place in one court. We did what we could to make it happen, though we were always conscious that there were things beyond our control. I am saddened because we had to make a difficult decision and end the season. There is a bittersweet taste, as we made the right decision to protect everyone involved”