By Lefteris Moutis / moutis@eurohoops.net
In the press conference for the announcement of Istanbul hosting the 2017 Final Four, Jordi Bertomeu gave clarifications about the next two ones, as well as safety concerns raised from the choice of Istanbul.
More precisely, he stated that Belgrade is among the candidates for next season’s Final Four and Moscow for the 2019 one.
“I confirm we are in talks with the VTB Arena, the new venue that is under construction in Moscow. We will announce details for the 2019 Final Four soon, just not yet”.
Could a less populated city dream of hosting a Final Four, like Vitoria? Bertomeu answers: “We have had that request from Vitoria for a long time. The city’s popularity is not an issues. Vitoria has just reconstructed their arena and has a few issues to solve such as transport, hotel bookings and many more in order to host a Final Four. Our history says the Final Four is to be hosted from bigger cities that can guarantee the highest level possible.”
Concern has been raised about the decision to host the 2017 Final Four in Istanbul and Bertomeu admits there is always a risk. “Anything can happen in Barcelona, in Istanbul, anywhere. Our responsibility is to stick to our plan, be clear with our goals in order for our partners to know what to expect. We feel as safe in Istanbul as in every other European city. We haven’t had such an issue for over 15 years.”