By Stefan Djordjevic / sdjordjevic@eurohoops.net
Crvena Zvezda president Nebojsa Covic talked on Serbian television about various topics including European basketball’s organization, finance, and the connection with domestic leagues. Most of it was criticism.
His main point was that the calendar will have to change as there are too many obligations for the clubs between the European and domestic schedules, especially so when one includes roster problems that come with injuries and the coronavirus. And no guarantees that good results in the domestic league will lead to Europe, make all of it that much tedious, uncertain and harder.
“It doesn’t depend on us. European basketball has to change in the organizational sense. This way of playing doesn’t work. The ABA league has no competitive significance for entering the Euroleague and Eurocup. Zvezda got a wild card for the Euroleague as the champion, but the teams that participated in the playoffs don’t play in the Eurocup, but in FIBA competitions, while someone who has played in the play-out tries to play in the (FIBA) Champions League. The order based on sports results is lost,” Covic said and added more, including some financial comparisons to football.
“Unusual things are happening in the Euroleague. We are not its co-owners, but it is inevitable that the calendar must change. We won’t be able to stand it. We do not have the opportunity to sign 18 players. Even with 14, 15 engaged, it is difficult. Clubs spend more than they earn. A victory in Euroleague is 37,000 euros, in the UEFA Europa League (football) around 700,000. Basketball has spiraled into spending more than it earns.”