By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
“I must express my complete disappointment on the strategy which was used in our meeting with Euroleague on May 3 in Munich”. That’s how the letter sent by the president of the Greek Basketball Federation, Giorgos Vassilakopoulos, to Patrick Baumann, secretary general of FIBA, began.
Kamil Novak, FIBA executive director Europe, was also the recipient of the letter, which was brought to public by “Sport 24”. In the letter, Vassilakopoulos is being highly critical of FIBA methods and by what took place in the meeting with Euroleague on May 3, specifically mentioning that “The proposition that was submitted to Euroleague was by far worse than the one I had to sign in 2004 as president of FIBA Europe, in order to begin the rapprochement procedure”.
He then writes that: “The positions that have been expressed and the decisions that have been taken in European basketball during the previous months, give the impression that FIBA, as well as FIBA Europe, try to pass their responsibilities to the national federations. The dangers may have a catastrophic effect to the national championships. During the last weeks, I have repeatedly asked for one more meeting among the presidents of the most important national federations, but this proposal was rejected”.
The communication tactics employed by FIBA also fell under Vassilakopoulos’ criticism. “Unfortunately, in this conflict our communication strategy is very bad, if not nonexistent. The other side dominates. Perhaps some self-criticism should be useful in order to define what exactly doesn’t go well and fix it, even now”.
Vassilakopoulos, who was the president of FIBA Europe when the “schism” with Euroleague took place, added in his letter that: “Since 2000, when the conflict with Euroleague began, we haven’t had a permanent and specific target. Our position, along with our strategy, is adapted depending to the positions and principals of our adversaries”.
In a pοstscript message, the president of the Greek Basketball Federation characterized the latest statements of Jordi Bertomeu as “terrible and immoral nonsense”.