By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
On December, ASVEL Villeurbanne president Tony Parker complained over delayed payments by the club’s jesey sponsor Skweek, a property of FEDCOM Media that is owned by AS Monaco president Alexey Fedorychev.
Parker even mentioned that ASVEL may consider ending this partnership that is already considered controversial since it began in 2023. Now, Fedorychev responded to the ASVEL boss, pointing out how lucrative the deal is for the latter.
“The fact is that I have always supported Tony [Parker] and his project because I believed that he added value to the entire basketball ecosystem,” Fedorychev said to Monaco Matin. “My goal was and remains focused on the overall growth of the league. Yes, it is true that Skweek was faced with initial payment delays. However, ASVEL has now received almost three times more revenue from this deal than any French basketball club has ever earned from jersey sponsorship. I invite ASVEL to consult their bank statements, which will confirm that the Skweek operation was one of the most successful marketing operations in the history of the club, if not in the history of French basketball.”
The partnership between ASVEL and Skweek has been raising several questions regarding a case of conflict of interest since Monaco is an opponent of the Villeurbanne side in both the French League and the EuroLeague. According to Fedorychev, his overall goal is to work towards the benefit of French basketball in general.
“I invest my own financial resources to create opportunities for French basketball as a whole,” Fedorychev said. “I have never hesitated to invest when I believe in something. Some may say that I am strengthening a direct competitor, but this perspective is short-sighted. Why? Because fostering stronger rivalries elevates the league as a whole. To stimulate sustainable growth, we need more locomotives. This is what really matters for the future of basketball.”
The jersey sponsorship by Skweek – the official broadcaster for EuroLeague in France – brings ASVEL a revenue of 7 million per season for three years. It’s a significant sum for a club that doesn’t have the economical prowess of most EuroLeague teams.