By Kostas Ioakeimidis/ info@eurohoops.net
Andrei Kirilenko explains the whole situation in an article published on Izvestia. He also implies that the top players of Khimki and CSKA Moscow will not be asked to join the Russian national team for the upcoming FIBA World Cup qualification games.
As he writes: “The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the Euroleague have not been able to come to a consensus on the issue of the windows for the national teams’ games during the season-2017/18. Now, in addition to the absence of NBA players, European teams run the risk of remaining without EuroLeague players. That’s why we held a working meeting with the Euroleague CEO Jordi Bertomeu and the Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation Pavel Kolobkov, where we discussed the current situation.
It is clear that the new national team calendar for the 2019 World Cup is not liked by the leading European clubs, but there is a certain hierarchy and subordination. FIBA includes many countries, and the decision to introduce the windows was made collectively. I voted to change the calendar only in the interests of Russia. If we, like France or Spain, had most of our national team players in the NBA, maybe we would have a different position.
But given that in the NBA we have only Timofei Mozgov, we would like to see our team during the season. In 2016, the official games of the national team were played in a full gym in Krasnodar and Perm. These matches were widely and extensively covered in the media. If we talk about the Eurobasket, the TV ratings of almost all the games of Sergei Bazarevich’s players were three times higher than any Euroleague match. This indicates that the national team attracts a lot of attention.
If there were no windows, the fans would see their national team only in the summer of 2018. It’s true that financially, this is a costly story for the federation, but from the point of view of popularization and attention to the team and basketball – this is a big plus. For the match with Belgium in Nizhny Novgorod, there are almost no tickets, and I’m sure it will be sold out.
It is a pity that in this situation our leading clubs suffer. Over the past year, we have established excellent contacts with them, helped each other, acted in the same vein, but the tough position of the Euroleague can disrupt this balance. The non-arrival of CSKA and Khimki players in the national team will cause a wide issue.
But we will try to smooth the situation and will do everything possible to meet our clubs’ needs and find the golden mean. We will not act from the position of strength – we will take away the best players, and you do what you want. Some players will not be called, but we will bet on a new generation. We will gather a competitive team, without artificial rejuvenation, but we will not denude CSKA and Khimki.
I emphasize that we have no war with the Euroleague. But the position of Bertomeu – that teams should only play in the summer, the optimal compositions involving players who perform in the NBA, is rather controversial.
It is incorrect to compare the Euroleague with the NBA. Yes, these are commercial tournaments, but they have different tasks. NBA, despite its internationality, is primarily aimed at the development of American basketball. Euroleague has a minimal attitude towards the development of Russian basketball. In my opinion, FIBA windows are much more meaningful and contribute more to the development of our sport.
We pursue the interests of our country. Ask any basketball fan if he wants to see his team, even if it is not in the optimal composition. I am sure that the answer will be positive.