By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
In an interview he gave for Corriere della Sera, Jordi Bertomeu characterized the reaction of FIBA as nothing less than “brutal”.
The CEO of Euroleague pointed out that he didn’t expect things to get to this, while adding: “I think it’s fair for FIBA to want to take the teams on its side, but this reaction is not legitimate at all. The reaction of FIBA is brutal. Trying to ‘kill’ the teams is not a solution. It is an admission of defeat”.
Bertomeu commented that: “I am wondering how can FIBA, which talks about sports criteria, go to Spain and Lithuania, who have won their participation to the Olympics on a basketball court, and tell them that they are out of the games.” He then added, that “I I was Gianni Petrucci, I’d say: The Olympic Qualifying Tournament is not negotiable. We presented a project, you accepted it, we signed a contract. If you take it from us, we will go to courts”.
He then expressed his certainty that: “In one way or an other, we will win in the end. I am 100% that the court of law will admit that we are right”.