By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
They say that they are no news in August, but that was not the case in the EuroLeague. Two general assemblies were held, one of them in Barcelona during the Olympics as a roadmap for the future of the competitions and the company, while major changes are expected.
However, with the IMG deal expiring in the summer of 2026, there are still two full seasons for everything to fall into place and the major issue up for discussion is not what you would expect.
As was reported by financial media outlets since July, the EuroLeague is ready to add investors and sell a stake in the Euroleague Commercial Assets (ECA) ownership.
Per Eurohoops sources, the presentation was made with private equity firms BC Partners and General Atlantic willing to buy a percentage between 30% to 40% of the company, which is valued depending on the final percentage between 300 to 400 million euros.
This sale can’t be made, however, without a decision by the current shareholders, the 13 clubs with A licenses – Real Madrid, Barcelona, Baskonia, Panathinaikos, Olympiacos, Fenerbahce, Anadolu Efes, Olimpia Milan, Maccabi Tel Aviv, ASVEL, Bayern Munich, Zalgiris Kaunas, and CSKA Moscow – and this is a process that’s expected to take time. It’s also tied with the decision for the clubs to sign new 15-year licenses, a proposal that was initially approved but is not yet formal and there are no signatures yet on the new contract.
And yes, you read right, CSKA remains one of the EuroLeague owners and while nothing is imminent, many other clubs/stakeholders are expecting the Russian club to return to the competition when the International Olympic Committee gives their approval. With the possible sale being the main matter of recent discussions, everything else, including the Final Four host for 2025, has taken a backseat.
The Final Four, London and Dubai
While the proposal of Abu Dhabi for hosting the Final Four is still pending, at this point Barcelona has emerged as the favorite to host the Final Four and Belgrade seems also to be a possible candidate if needed.
Meanwhile, the London Lions issue and the involvement of Zalgiris Kaunas in the ownership of the club raised some eyebrows for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, per EuroLeague bylaws, two clubs can’t have the same owner.
With the Lions being out of the EuroLeague fold for the 2024-25 season that’s not an issue for the moment, but Zalgiris already sent a letter to all other clubs explaining their position on London Lions. After all, the owner of the Lions is not Zalgiris itself, but Tesonet, a tech company that is a minority owner of Zalgiris. So if and when London enters EuroLeague competitions, Tesonet and Zalgiris could change their relationship, should there be a case of conflict of interest.
The even bigger issue with London, however, has to do with the possibility of the NBA somehow entering the European landscape more actively. It’s a common secret that in all the talks the NBA has with every European stakeholder, including FIBA, one of the main conditions for them to get involved is having a club in London.
Dubai is the victim of this approach. Despite the 777 fiasco, with EuroLeague having taken its distance from the whole mess essentially since the summer of 2023, London remains valuable and an expansion towards the UK, even if not imminent, remains on the cards.
On the contrary, Dubai, even if last March it was expected for them to become part of the EuroLeague after presenting all the financial guarantees asked, was put on hold as the competition wants first to set other matters, namely the possible sale of the minority stake.
After all, the EuroLeague management clarified to Dubai in late June that even if they won the EuroCup, they wouldn’t take a spot in the EuroLeague shortly, probably not until the 2026-27 season when the IMG joint venture expires.
With this condition in mind, and after three years of talks, Dubai denied the chance to play in the EuroCup for the 2024-25 season and the whole future of the project seems to be in doubt.
When asked about the roadmap for the future of the competition during the 2024 Final Four, EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejunas replied with a smile: “Ask me again in one year”.
And no matter what happens, the 25th season of the modern EuroLeague era is bound to make history also off the court.