By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
The basketball federation of Serbia and its president Dragan Djilas have replied in a very harsh way to the letter send by FIBA Europe, asking for sanctions towards Partizan.
While the federation is ready to “adopt all decision made by the FIBA Europe board” and Partizan is in danger of being banned from the Serbian league, Djilas writes also the following: “The informations that we received from FIBA that German, Italian, Spanish, Russian and some other clubs which do not play in the FIBA Euroleague, will participate in the Champions League proved to be untrue. As things stands, it is clear that, at least currently, in the war between Euroleague and FIBA, FIBA has experienced a complete defeat. This leads to our specific questions about what will be the policy of FIBA Europe? Are we going to stick our head in the sand and pretend that nothing has happened or we will, in accordance with the current reality, change our policies and way of fighting for the preservation of European basketball?Are we going to continue with the policy of punishment and suspensions that will lead to a basketball in which the strongest European nations such as Spain, Lithuania, Italy, Greece, Russia, Serbia will remain without a strong domestic league, because without the clubs participating in the Euroleague and the Eurocup, the vast majority of domestic basketball competitions in the strongest European countries will have no meaning.
Apart from the issue of concrete measures to be taken by FIBA Europe, I have for you one more specific question. What will you do Mr Novak as executive director of FIBA Europe and Mr Demirel as president of FIBA Europe, as well as other officials of FIBA Europe, given the fact that we find ourselves in this situation? Do you see your responsibility for it and do you you intend to accept this responsibility and take some concrete steps?
With the sincere hope that we will get out of this extremely complex, sensitive and complicated situation as soon as possible,
Best Regards
Dragan Đilas
President of the Basketball Federation of Serbia, a country whose men’s team is second in the world and the women’s team is the first in Europe”.