Jordi Bertomeu says he hopes to resume and complete the EuroLeague season

EuroLeague Basketball CEO Jordi Bertomeu spoke with Sports.ru about the resumption of the season, the agreement with ELPA and more.

“Since March 12 – from the moment we suspended the competition – we have considered all possible options for the resumption of the season. At the Euroleague shareholders meeting held on April 23, the teams discussed potential problems: problems with movement, with transport, with closed borders … At the same time, everyone unanimously, without any exceptions, approved the new format of the tournament and the terms in which it should continue" Bertomeu said. "The Euroleague is trying to be like the NBA – it is a basketball league that receives income from sources around the world. It is obvious that financial factors are extremely significant, but at the same time such an important decision would be unfair and incorrect to reduce exclusively to money.

Two weeks ago, I already said that the main factor in making a decision is not to endanger the health of our players, coaches and referees. We will not jeopardize the health of our fans, we will not jeopardize the health of club employees, arenas, leagues or citizens in general.

If the governments and health authorities allow us to play games, if we will take all actions to ensure the safety of the participants in the competitions, then I am convinced that we must finish the season. We must not only because we have obligations to partners, but also – and more importantly – we have obligations to fans. We exist thanks to our fans, and if we can, we are obliged to give them what they love more than anything else – the highest quality basketball" the CEO added. "Agreement with ELPA criticized by some players? Although some players have publicly expressed skepticism about the agreement (this is their opinion, we respect it), most accepted it. Let me remind you that this season about 300 players are involved in the Euroleague. I would prefer not to talk about the specifics of the negotiation process out of respect for all parties concerned. It is obvious at the same time that the main difficulties were connected with the fact that our clubs represent different countries: this implies big differences in realities, in legislation, in taxation, plus different situations. It is always very difficult to find a solution to a problem from the point of view of a single whole, and not a specific team.

The Euroleague takes on such a mission. It’s great that we have the full support of our clubs for this.

Let me also note that the negotiations did not imply any dispute between the Euroleague and the clubs on the one hand and the players on the other. This view is very far from reality. The talks were held with a clear understanding of the basic principles that are shared by all parties: all this is necessary in order to have good prospects in the future after the end of the pandemic."