Interview: Agreement on the awarding of B Licenses

Under the chairmanship of Mr. Borislav Stankovic, Secretary General Emeritus of FIBA World, and of Mr. Jordi Bertomeu, CEO of Euroleague, the Serbian clubs, the directors of the Adriatic League and the president of the Serbian Basketball Federation have announced today their full consensus for the establishment of criteria that the Euroleague will follow in order to award B Licenses in accordance with the Euroleague Strategic Plan approved in Rome.

This agreement clarifies in a definitive way the role of the Adriatic League and its relationship with the national federations. The Adriatic League, will finalize by presenting the changes to the Slovenian and Croatian Federation, which will permit the solicitation in the coming days of its official recognition by FIBA Europe, following the official recognition it was given some years ago by ULEB. The situation of the Adriatic League is unique within the organization of European competitions, given that it is the only league that qualifies teams to European competition while representing five different countries: Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro.

The agreement provides for a system of access to the Euroleague based fundamentally on the sporting results obtained by the clubs in the Adriatic League and in their national leagues. Also, though in lesser measure, their results in the three European competitions will be taken into account, based on a system of coefficients, establishing a transitory period until the 2010-11 season during which the rights acquired by the clubs according to the Adriatic League rules will be respected.

The agreement includes other aspects relevant to the future of basketball in the region, such as reducing the number of participating clubs in the Adriatic League to 12, modifying that competition's by-laws, and maintaining its current system of access to the Eurocup.

In the press conference at which the agreement was announced, both Mr. Stankovic and Mr. Bertomeu, who acted as mediators in the conversations, thanked the clubs, the Adriatic League and the Serbian Basketball Federation for their effort and willingness to cooperate, both of which permitted the negotiations to reach a positive conclusion that resolves the last outstanding issue in the restructuring of the Euroleague for next season, following the same principles included in the Strategic Plan, which is based on awarding places to champion teams from the different national competitions.

Borislav Stankovic, FIBA Secretary General Emeritus - Jordi Bertomeu, Euroleague CEO "Today we have reached a historic moment for Serbian basketball," said Mr. Stankovic Secretary General Emeritus of FIBA World. "We have been working together so as to improve the situation in the area and we have reached this agreement. The Adriatic League will be soliciting Fiba Europe to officially recognize the Adriatic League as the league representative of the area. We have established the changes that need to be made and the timings for these changes. Euroleague has agreed to help us make these changes and ensure the end of the conflict."

"We are very satisfied with the conclusion of the meetings that have been held and with the agreement that has been reached. I would like to thank all the clubs and especially Partizan for their collaboration and efforts that have been made in this agreement", said Mr. Lorbek, President of the Adriatic League. "I am committed to making sure that the changes take place, which will be very positive for basketball in the area and for the Adriatic League. I would like to thank Euroleague for its role in the negotiations and assisting in making this possible. This agreement will bring stability and new perspectives to basketball in the area."

"I would like to thank everyone, especially Mr. Stankovic, for his role in these negotiations, whose experience, moral authority and discretion has made this negotiation possible. I would also like to thank Partizan for understanding the part they have to play in the principles of the restructuring included in the Strategic Plan," said Jordi Bertomeu, CEO of Euroleague. "As we have said we have been working with representatives across Europe and this agreement lets us reach a consensus so that we can move forward with the restructuring of Euroleague in the next season."

In recent months, the Euroleague has worked intensely to listen, attend to and solve the potential problems the system created according to the unique idiosyncrasies of each European country and zone. With the agreement reached for the awarding of B Licenses to Adriatic League clubs, and thanks to the strong cooperation with Mr. Stankovic, Euroleague concludes this process, which leads to the establishment of the new format for next season with the near-unanimous approval of European basketball.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009