By Bugra Uzar/ info@eurohoops.net
The press conference of the presidental cup in Turkey took an unexpected turn. Fenerbahce will face Anadolu Efes on the 5th of October for the first trophy of the season, but Zeljko Obradovic had also other things on his mind.
The conflict between FIBA and Euroleague has among others as a result a difference in the rules applied on the same team on the BSL and Euroleague games.
As Obradovic explained: “I want to emphasize that the Turkish League is really the best league of the Europe. But I want to make some points after yesterday’s meeting with referees about officiating. We learned that BSL and Euroleague will be played under different rules. Different calls are going to be made in different positions. I think, this is a disaster! We’ll play under different rules in a league game two days after a Euroleague match-up. We can’t do anything about it, we have to respect it. But this is very problematic for the future of our sport. There must be same rules in every basketball competition.
How am I going to adapt to different rules as a coach? How am I going to explain this change of rules to my players?
I have to explain different calls being made in BSL and Euroleague. I think, it is a big problem for basketball and everybody is going to be affected by it. This is not a personal opinion about the rules. 16 Euroleague coaches are in the same page, sharing my thoughts. Different rules in two major competitions will be very bad for basketball, a disaster just like I said”.
The situation is more than peculiar as the player will have to adapt in different criteria twice a week. Obradovic point out what is evident: “I want to repeat: We will play basketball under different rules every two days. It is not about all of the rules but every coach in the conference thought it will be a struggle. We will adapt and play under these rules. But we are going to struggle because of some people who see themselves as the most important in the world and these are the people managing basketball. We are going to be affected by their decisions. The point of the rules is making the game 100 percent clear for everyone. In Euroleague, 16 coaches come together and settle on the rules. We know that the game is going to be played under the criteria we settled. Turkish League, on the other hand, has to follow FIBA. FIBA’s rules are challenging us. The best league in the world is the NBA and it is adapting some rules from Euroleague. I think, the picture is clear for everyone to see”.
Anadolu Efes coach Velimir Perasovic added: “I have to also say that everybody is confused about the rules right now. In Euroleague stopping a fast break is a flagrant foul, but under FIBA rules in BSL it is not. How are we going to explain this to our players? They have to play according to Euroleague one day and the next day according to BSL. I think there are going to be some interesting and confusing situations for the audience too. We may witness even some comical situations”.