By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Euroleague Basketball has asked a law firm to present all the legal reasons to disengage with CSKA Moscow’s A license, if that will end up being the case, according to Artem Komarov.
The future of CSKA in Europe’s premier club continental competition has been considered questionable since its games were suspended following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing war in Eastern Europe. Eurohoops has examined possible repercussions and how they can impact the playing field of the 2022-23 season.
All Russian teams participating in Euroleague Basketball competitions, Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup, were ruled out for the remainder of the 2021-22 season. Holding an A license is the main difference between the club based in Moscow versus Zenit Saint Petersburg, UNICS Kazan, and EuroCup’s Lokomotiv Kuban.
Euroleague Basketball is actively evaluating depriving CSKA of the license but has not decided to actually move forward as such, per the latest update on the situation. As pointed out in the report, there is little room for this possible outcome at the moment, as CSKA’s owner Norilsk Nickel is not under sanctions.
There is no fixed sum to break the agreement with one of the licensed clubs, which can become an issue if Euroleague Basketball eventually opts to part ways with CSKA, per Komarov. One of the licensed teams wishing to separate itself would cost at least €10M but there’s no formula or clause for the opposite.
After the early ending to the 2021-22 EuroLeague campaign, CSKA has turned the focus on the VTB United League. The team coached by Dimitris Itoudis leads the standings behind a 16-3 record.
Photo Credit: EuroLeagueBasketball.net