By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
When asked if EuroLeague players will be sanctioned if they choose to participate in the World Cup Qualifiers, Bertomeu said that there’s no scenario like that and expects that no punishment will come upon the players if they skip the call of their national teams.
“The players that will decide to join their national teams won’t be sanctioned and if they don’t go there should be no sanction as well. Because that would’ve meant that there are players of class A and class B and this would be a scandal. And you have to respect the decision of the player, otherwise, there can’t be any consent,” said Bertomeu in an interview with Radio Marca.
Regarding the conflict between EuroLeague and FIBA on the new season’s calendar, Bertomeu added that “It is a conflict for the concept of basketball because we are interested in having successful national teams and I don’t understand how there are federations that are content to have teams B or C. The fans can’t be happy to see a Spanish national team without Marc Gasol, Pau Gasol or Ricky Rubio.”