By Stefan Djordjevic/ info@eurohoops.net
Crvena Zvezda president Nebojsa Covic said that the spot that the ABA League champion has each year in next season’s EuroLeague is secured and that there might be an opportunity for an extra team to be granted access in the future.
But for that to happen, ABA needs to greatly increase its quality standards, among other things.
“I believe that one place in the Euroleague is safe. I don’t think Euroleague will expand in the season 2018/2019. I do think that Euroleague will change its format and will expand in the future. In that case, ABA League needs to improve its quality a lot to at least have a chance to have 2 teams in the Euroleague in the future. We need to improve our standards, to implement the financial fair-play,” Covic said per Mozzart Sport.
Covic also commented on the efforts made by German clubs to get another team in EuroLeague (apart from each season’s champion) and French clubs like ASVEL, Strasbourg or Nanterre that also want to join the top-tier European competition in a potential expansion.
“Germany and France have a greater impact than us, they have more money but play poorer basketball than us,” Covic said. “And I think Euroleague is not interested in skipping this region (former Yugoslavia). This region is extremely famous in basketball. At the European Championship, you basically have had a tournament of the former Yugoslavia. Potential exists, Euroleague respects this. We need to get closer to the Euroleague through standards. And we are not far away.”