Fenerbahçe Beko criticizes postponement of game against Paris Basketball

The EuroLeague game between Paris Basketball and Fenerbahçe Beko, scheduled for yesterday, has been postponed due to an outbreak affecting the French team, leaving them with fewer than eight players available. Fenerbahçe Beko, one of EuroLeague’s most prominent clubs, expressed disappointment, calling the decision “incompatible with the seriousness of the organization.”

The Turkish club emphasized that teams are required to build deep rosters and strong youth structures to handle emergencies. While acknowledging health challenges, the last-minute postponement was deemed unacceptable, especially since numerous fans traveled from other cities and countries to attend the game.

Fenerbahçe wished Paris Basketball players a speedy recovery but reiterated the importance of clear preventive measures to avoid such incidents in the future, safeguarding EuroLeague’s credibility.

As is known, yesterday, with the decision and announcement by EuroLeague, the Paris Basketball – Fenerbahçe Beko game was postponed to a later date, in accordance with EuroLeague regulations, due to an outbreak affecting the home team and the number of available players dropping below eight.

Our team, Fenerbahçe Beko, one of EuroLeague’s key stakeholders, has always shared this organization’s mission of being the “pinnacle representative of European basketball” and has acted accordingly. However, we regret to state that yesterday’s incident was not in line with the seriousness and level expected of this organization. While EuroLeague provides basketball fans with Europe’s most prestigious matches and a high level of competitiveness, it also imposes a highly demanding schedule on participating teams. To meet these demands, teams must establish robust organizations capable of fulfilling these requirements. Considering the large number of seasonal games, domestic leagues, and double-game weeks, teams are compelled to operate with extensive rosters while managing the associated financial challenges. Therefore, EuroLeague teams must adhere to the budgets set by regulations, form sufficiently large rosters, and build strong youth infrastructures capable of providing support, especially in emergencies.

During the recent Covid pandemic, which affected the entire world, it was agreed that games could be postponed due to the severe impact of the disease. However, a last-minute postponement decision, taken just hours before a match, in a situation that does not fall within that context, is not in any way compatible with the seriousness that we expect from an organization like EuroLeague, which we ourselves consistently defend.

EuroLeague management has a primary duty to foresee such situations, which can significantly damage the organization’s credibility, and to take necessary measures at the beginning of the season to ensure the continuity of competitions. This includes implementing regulations that enable teams to receive support from their youth infrastructures in emergencies.

We express our sympathy for the situation faced by Paris Basketball and wish a speedy recovery to all individuals affected by the outbreak. However, we must emphasize that Fenerbahçe Beko has competed in many games since the start of the season with absences due to illnesses and injuries, without ever making excuses, and similarly approached this game, traveling from Barcelona to Paris after a long journey, following the first match of the double-game week.

One of the most disheartening aspects of this situation is the inconvenience caused to our fans. Hundreds of Fenerbahçe supporters purchased tickets for this game and traveled from neighboring cities and countries to support the team at the Adidas Arena. This inconvenience experienced by our valuable fans makes this decision even more unacceptable for us. Additionally, it is clear that this decision sets a dangerous precedent for the future and creates an environment open to significant abuse.

Our team returned to Istanbul last night under the revised travel schedule and continues training in preparation for upcoming games.