In an interview with Sportski Zurnal, former Italy and Montenegro NT head coach Bogdan Tanjevic has weighted in on European Basketball current issues, especially on the relationship between Euroleague, FIBA and the NBA.
On Euroleague: “Real Madrid, Euroleague champion in 2018, reported losses for 29,5 million euros. They spent 45 million and had an income of 15. This year, Barcelona has already announced the loss of 37 million. By the capitalistic rules, or nowadays better known as the market economy, every professional organization that is not solvent should declare bankruptcy. So, gentlemen, you are not NBA, you are far from the league that has ratings all over the World. And Euroleague, when it has the maximum rating – in Spain – it goes to maybe 3 million viewers. In Italy, it’s 250k. And if you are not watched on TV, there are no guarantees that you can attract big money from sponsors and TV rights, which are being counted in billions in America. And in Euroleague, they act like they are a perfect business, and do not respect any sport values or principles. From the start, it’s not fair, since some teams are there because of the results, and some have contracts. Everything is pretty funny, and it does not comply with a law of logic”.
About the Adriatic Region: “We are talking about an area that has created so many players and coaches that made European basketball for what it is today, and now is shaping NBA too. Two of the most significant players are Jokic and Doncic, and there is also a Greek, Antetokounmpo. I’m completely against the idea of canceling that one Euroleague place for clubs from this region that produced most coaches, players and basketball in Europe, and even NBA”.
About the FIBA NT windows: “It is completely legit to have these windows. The idea of FIBA is to bring national teams closer to people, so they could have a chance to watch their national team not just once in 50 years. It’s no an accident that Messi, who is for the sixth time the best football player in the world, has to play for the national team. Not allowing players to play for national teams is absolutely awful decision by the organization that doesn’t respect any rules and uses the situation where FIBA can’t defend itself because there are no courts that would solve this unfair relationship. It is especially silly that players can’t go only two times for ten days in a year to play for their national teams. Why couldn’t they? Even NBA could allow their players if someone would ask and explain: «Gentlemen, we are producing players for you, with no investments from your side, and you make a business out of that. We have our own small business as well, and if Jokic and Doncic could play for us in February than we could sell TV rights for more money»”.
About the NBA attracting European rising stars: “They are taking our best talents, when they are 18 years old. And we created them on our courts, with our coaches, in our clubs and federations that invested money. And all they do is say: «Wow, I like your wife, I would like to marry her!». That is the way the NBA is behaving, like they are aliens, and they aren’t. They are just good sports business, nothing more. Even they should be forced to let the players for the national teams. Not to talk about Euroleague, about that unsuccessful business idea. It became a competition of patronage, some private people take out their money and something is covered”.
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