By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Before Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv faced Olympiacos in Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season Round 11 on Friday, Shimon Mizrahi shared his view on the 11 clubs-shareholders of the EuroLeague being divided into two nearly evenly matched blocks in the recent vote to dismiss Jordi Bertomeu from his current position as the Chairman and CEO of the competition.
“To tell you the truth, I think that we are in a certain situation that can go wrong. This situation is a split between the teams,” he told Greek sports television network Nova, “Among the 11 A-licensed, when six teams are on the same page but the other five do not agree, we can go wrong.”
“We can’t run the league voting six against five on things like that,” added the Maccabi chairman, “A solution must be found immediately. Because then, after 21 years, we can ruin everything that was built. So, to my opinion, a solution must be found.”
Mizrahi, 82, dived in the talks between Euroleague Basketball and FIBA, ahead of the next week’s scheduling conflict between EuroLeague Regular Season Round 12 and the FIBA national teams window.
“I would say a global solution, which includes finding a solution with FIBA as well,” he went on, “To not stay in the same situation that we have next week with the national teams and the EuroLeague teams playing, and EuroLeague players not being able to go their national teams. That we have to solve. The sooner the better.”
It was a tough game for Maccabi at Olympiacos with the loss forcing the team coached by Giannis Sfairopoulos to 7-4. “I am sure that Giannis got the DNA of Maccabi very very quickly. We feel like he is with us for twenty years,” explained Mizrahi commenting on the Greek head coach leading his side since 2018.
Another game on the road coming up on the EuroLeague schedule with a visit at ALBA Berlin next Thursday. At Israel’s Winner League, after the 4-2 start, the Yellows will take on Maccabi Effie Capital Rishon Lezion tomorrow, Sunday.