The 2015–16 FIBA–Euroleague Basketball controversy is the dispute between FIBA and the Euroleague Basketball over who has control of the premier European-wide professional club basketball competition.
Contents
Background
The EuroLeague has been in place since a club-led breakaway from FIBA in 2000.
FIBA had never trademarked the "EuroLeague" name, even though it had used that name for the competition since 1996. Euroleague Basketball simply appropriated the name, and since FIBA had no legal recourse to do anything about it, it was forced to find a new name for its championship series.
The 2000–2001 season had two separate top European professional club basketball competitions: the FIBA SuproLeague and the new ULEB Euroleague. Teams opting to play in the new Euroleague included Olympiacos, Real Madrid and Barcelona.
In May 2001, Europe had two 1st-tier continental champions, Maccabi of the FIBA SuproLeague, and Kinder Bologna of the Euroleague. The leaders of both organizations realized the need to come up with a unified competition. Although only a year old, Euroleague Basketball negotiated from a position of strength, and dictated proceedings. FIBA essentially had no choice but to agree to Euroleague Basketball's terms. As a result, European club basketball competition was fully integrated under Euroleague Basketball's umbrella, and some teams that competed in the FIBA SuproLeague during the 2000–01 season joined it as well.
In November 2004, FIBA and EuroLeague officially came to an agreement. In essence, the authority in European professional basketball was divided over club-country lines. FIBA stayed in charge of national team competitions (like the FIBA EuroBasket, the FIBA World Cup, and the Summer Olympics), while Euroleague Basketball took over the European professional club competitions. From that point on, FIBA's Korać Cup and Saporta Cup competitions that had recently folded, were officially replaced by Euroleague Basketball's recently launched ULEB Cup, now known as the EuroCup.
Controversy
In June 2015, FIBA announced it would start a new league to compete with Euroleague Basketball's 2nd-tier level EuroCup. In July 2015, FIBA also tried to take the helm of the top-tier level EuroLeague, by trying to convince eight of the eleven teams with a EuroLeague A-Licence to play in a new competition that would be organized by FIBA instead of the current EuroLeague. This proposal was unanimously rejected by the EuroLeague clubs.
In October 2015, FIBA attempted to take back control of Europe's 1st-tier club competition, proposing the Basketball Champions League, a new league that would have 16 teams, playing in a round-robin format, and granting eight guaranteed spots to different clubs.
In November 2015, Euroleague Basketball agreed to a 10-year marketing joint venture with IMG. In its press release, the EuroLeague announced a new competition format for the 2016–17 season, with only 16 teams, including the eleven A-license clubs (Anadolu Efes, Baskonia, CSKA Moscow, FC Barcelona, Fenerbahçe, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Olimpia Milano, Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, Real Madrid, and Žalgiris), playing in only one single group, with a double round-robin, or in a true league style format. With the top eight placed teams from the regular season then playing in a best-of-five playoffs round to decide qualification to the 2017 EuroLeague Final Four.
After its initial proposal was rejected by the EuroLeague clubs, FIBA changed the format of the Basketball Champions League, making a new competition format, with qualifications based on sporting merits. This competition was officially launched on 22 March 2016.
Threats of suspension of 14 national teams
Despite the offer of FIBA to all European national basketball federations, many clubs instead agreed with EuroLeague to participate in the 2016–17 EuroLeague, or 2016–17 EuroCup. Regional leagues like the Adriatic League or VTB United League, as well as many national domestic leagues, signed contracts with Euroleague Basketball for the right to participate in its competitions.
Because of this support for EuroLeague, FIBA threatened to suspend 14 European basketball federations from EuroBasket 2017. Notified national organisations were given a five-day period, until 20 April 2016, to explain their stance on the situation. These federations are:
On 16 April 2016, FIBA asked Germany to take over the hosting of the 2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament from Italy, which was at risk of suspension. In the end, no suspensions were applied.
Reactions to the possible suspension
Greece
Giorgios Nikolau, director of communications of AEK Athens, after its defeat against PAOK, in the first game of the Greek League quarterfinals, stated that his club, "will not be blackmailed by anyone, and doesn’t get any kind of messages by anyone". AEK had previously agreed to a three-year contract with EuroLeague Basketball to participate in EuroCup Basketball.
Lithuania
On 20 April 2016, the Lithuanian Basketball Federation suspended BC Lietuvos rytas for their agreement with EuroLeague. Subsequently, the club from Vilnius would be disqualified from the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). Remigijus Milašius, president of the LKL, refuted their arguments and said that, FIBA "promised a lot of money, which they do not even have".
Šarūnas Jasikevičius, head coach of Lithuanian team BC Žalgiris, argued that "playing in a FIBA tournament means taking a 20-year step back".
Russia
Andrei Kirilenko, President of the Russian Basketball Federation, requested the VTB United League to suspend the participation of all Russian teams in EuroCup. He also said the contract with VTB would be voided if the league refuses.
Spain
Francisco Roca, President of the Spanish ACB said, "the ban is unfair and unfounded", and said that there is not any ban for Spanish teams from playing in FIBA competitions, despite agreeing to the contract with Euroleague Basketball.
The Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB) requested that the ACB suspend its agreement with the EuroLeague. The ACB answered again to the FEB, stating that it cannot impede Spanish clubs from joining their tournaments, and that the possible suspension of the Spanish national team was not its fault.
On 13 May 2016, the Supreme Council for Sports of Spain, unilaterally cancelled the agreement between the ACB and EuroLeague, with the aim to avoid the suspension to the men's national team. The Clubs Association (ACB) regretted the action of the Council, arguing that it restricts the clubs' freedom to choose the competition that they want to play in. Also, it reminded that FIBA did not explain the reasons for the possible suspension.
Slovenia
The Slovenian Basketball Federation, despite the possible suspension of its national team, supports FIBA in "its efforts to take action against ECA’s allegedly anti-competitive and illegal practices", but does not understand the suspension, as the Federation does not have any rights in the Adriatic League.
Suspension of the recognition of the ABA League
On 13 April 2016, The ABA League, comprising teams from the former SFR Yugoslavia, agreed with EuroLeague on a four-year contract, for one EuroLeague and three EuroCup spots.
Because of this agreement, FIBA threatened to suspend the six national federations with teams in the ABA League, and on 30 April 2016, it suspended its recognition of the ABA League. This official recognition was in place since 2009. Krešimir Novosel, director of the ABA League, said that he was unsure about FIBA's reasons for suspending recognition of the league, after the ABA had reformed its league to follow the criteria of the International Federation.
Collaboration proposals
On 3 May 2016, EuroLeague presented a collaboration proposal to FIBA, with the integration of the International Federation into the EuroLeague governance, and the possibility of accepting the new playing windows schedule for the FIBA World Cup qualifying games as main points.
Two days later, FIBA sent a letter to EuroLeague, requesting that they agree that FIBA's newly formed competition (the Champions League) become the new European-wide second-tier competition, instead of the EuroCup, that they agree to the new FIBA national team calendar and make the necessary adjustments to its new playing windows schedule, and that they would agree on the future expansion of the EuroLeague to 24 teams in upcoming seasons.
Israel
On 28 June 2016, the Israel Basketball Association (IBA) informed that Hapoel Jerusalem, which signed a contract to participate in the EuroCup, would not be allowed to register and play in the Israeli Basketball Premier League. In response, Maccabi Tel Aviv, one of the teams with an A-license to play in the EuroLeague, announced that, in that case, they would also refuse to register to the Premier League. Ultimately, the IBA did not apply any sanction.
Italy
On 22 April 2016, the three Italian teams that signed a contract with EuroLeague (Reggio Emilia, Dinamo Sassari and Aquila Basket Trento), announced they would withdraw from the EuroCup. After several threats from FIBA, they withdrew from the competition, and instead joined the FIBA competition, the Basketball Champions League.
Russia
On 27 June 2016, just after participants of the 2016–17 EuroLeague and EuroCup Basketball were revealed, Andrei Kirilenko, President of the Russian Basketball Federation, announced that the four Russian participants in EuroCup (Khimki, Lokomotiv Kuban, Nizhny Novgorod, and Zenit Saint Petersburg) would be disqualified from national domestic competitions (like the Russian Cup), and that their players would be banned from playing with the Russian national team. This does not affect participation in the VTB United League, which is not organised by the Russian Federation.
Spain
On 2 August 2016, Jorge Garbajosa, recently elected as President of the Spanish Basketball Federation, sent a letter to the six Spanish clubs that were registered in the EuroCup (Bilbao, Fuenlabrada, Gran Canaria, Málaga, Murcia, and Valencia), accusing them of violating the rules of Spain's Supreme Council of Sports. This organisation of the Spanish government, had previously cancelled the ACB-EuroLeague agreement.
Greece
The Hellenic Basketball Federation initially threatened to ban AEK Athens from the Greek Basket League, if it did not switch from the EuroCup to FIBA's Basketball Champions League. The Hellenic Basketball Federation stated that they were sent a letter by FIBA, that demanded that they make such threats. After AEK initially refused to switch to the Champions League, the Hellenic Basketball Federation then refused to grant any Greek League player licenses (meaning they could not play in the Greek League) for all of AEK's new summer signings, if they remained in the EuroCup. As a result of this, AEK had no other choice but to withdraw from the EuroCup and switch to the Champions League.
Expansion of the Basketball Champions League
On 19 August 2016, FIBA announced the expansion of its Basketball Champions League to 40 teams in the regular season, after allowing AEK Athens, Partizan and Stelmet Zielona Góra to play in it. The three teams previously withdrew from the EuroCup, weeks after this competition had already established the groups and the calendar schedule of the games.
As consequence of this, the EuroCup was forced to reduce its competition to 20 teams.