Here we are: Dubai will enter the EuroLeague in the 2024-25 season, Mundo Deportivo reports. The final decision could come at the meeting of the competition’s 13 shareholder clubs scheduled for next February. EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejunas recently opened up to the idea, stating in an interview with Basketnews that ‘there is a 50-50 chance’.
The project, supported by a working group consisting of representatives from Panathinaikos, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Fenerbahçe, envisages an economic contribution from Dubai of 150 million euros over six years.
Each of the 13 shareholder clubs would receive one million euros per season for the next five years. In return, Dubai demands to have a team in the competition.
Initially, the sheikhs had also asked to host two Final Fours, a proposal later rejected by EuroLeague, which is considering the idea of creating a kind of Super Cup in Dubai.
The project also includes the creation of a ‘joint venture’ to develop a regional league in the Middle East, with the winner gaining access to EuroLeague.
The possible entry of Fly Emirates as a sponsor instead of Turkish Airlines in 2025 is another relevant aspect, although the Dubai airline will not offer free flights to the teams, as initially thought.
The new Dubai team will have to meet certain conditions, such as budget restrictions, to avoid distorting the EuroLeague market. In addition, it will also play in the Aba-Liga (with Partizan and Red Star, ed.) in order to maintain a similar pace of competition to other clubs.
A final point to be clarified concerns the contract with IMG, which expires in 2025. Should it not be renewed, it could cast doubt on the continuity in the EuroLeague of teams like CSKA Moscow and Maccabi Tel Aviv due to the political and geostrategic situations in their countries.
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