By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Despite the decision of Legabasket, the Italian basketball federation (FIP) didn’t accept the vote of the clubs and it’s threatening Reggio Emilia, Trento and Sassari from excluding them from next’s season Italian league championship.
As “Gazzetta dello Sport” reported, the federation is taking a hard stance, at this point it’s the only federation from Europe taking such measures – despite what Kamil Novak said to Eurohoops recently – and the question if they will transform their threat into action. Meanwhile EA7 Armani Milano is on a league of its own and the federation doesn’t touch the club, which has a 10 year deal with Euroleague.
Euroleague issued the following press release, supporting the three clubs.
“In the light of the latest events and the information recently published in several media outlets, Euroleague Basketball wants to communicate:
- Euroleague Basketball considers totally unacceptable any pressure or threat against the different basketball collectives of clubs, players and referees in professional basketball.
- Euroleague Basketball firmly defends the freedom of all professional basketball clubs. Euroleague Basketball reiterates its support to the European clubs to freely make the choice to participate in the competitions that they consider appropriate based on what it is best for their fans. The clubs can and must decide their future, as they are the basis of professional basketball both on a domestic and international level.
- In the case that these pressures or threats become a reality and present a risk to the liberty of the clubs, as published in today’s edition of Gazzetta dello Sport, Euroleague Basketball will take the necessary legal steps, on a national level, to guarantee that the clubs decide their future based on their wishes and ambitions. Euroleague Basketball remains at the disposal of all Italian clubs, and those of any other country, that wish to join this immediate legal action.
- Euroleague Basketball has already filed a complaint before the European Commission against FIBA and FIBA Europe as a consequence of the repeated pressures that European basketball clubs are suffering at the hands of the international federation and its affiliated national federations with the objective of forcing them to renounce their participation in European competitions that since 2000 the clubs have been managing through Euroleague Basketball.
- Euroleague Basketball reiterates that any institution working for the growth of professional basketball is welcome to help the clubs improve the sport for fans, but always within a context of respect towards the law and the clubs, which are the ones sustaining professional basketball on a global level”.