By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
When Facundo Campazzo signed with Crvena Zvezda a lot of eyebrows were raised. It was an unexpected move, the money spent shocked everyone and there was a ban placed by EuroLeague on Zvezda, preventing the player from registering in Europe’s top league.
Per Zvezda’s officials, the ban was “just a formality“. According to the EuroLeague’s Finance Panel, it was not and there’s no doubt that the punishment which may sound strict is justifiable.
And then all hell broke loose. Since yesterday there’s only speculation in the air about what “really” happened and why such a sanction, which was never used before, was placed on Zvezda, a club that doesn’t have a long-term license and no right to vote as a league shareholder.
That’s why this is a very delicate situation that created more issues than those which in theory solved.
This is just a personal opinion, but right now, the issue is not to argue if the punishment fits the crime, or if Zvezda or Campazzo are victims. They are not and the punishment is compatible with the rules.
The real point which is not really been mentioned until now is the integrity of the league on the court with one playoff contender not having the ability to register its star player for two months after settling their debts, while the league as a whole loses the chance to profit from the presence of a well-established name like Campazzo.
As CEO Marshall Glikman stated: “This is disappointing to us as we always want the best players on the court”.
So the clubs/shareholders and Glikman himself who has as the CEO the right to suspend the decision of the financial panel based on Article 20 F of the Euroleague Disciplinary Regulations – something that Zvezda already asked – should really think about what will benefit themselves first and foremost in the long term.
Yes, an “amnesty” to Zvezda may open pandora’s box for the future and every club in financial trouble will ask for preferential treatment based on this precedent. On the other hand, in an effort to uphold the rules, the first major public crisis in the post-Bertomeu era was created and if the EuroLeague wants to grow stronger by it, a bold decision should be made.