Motiegiounas: “Step by step the Dubai project in the Euroleague – Same format in the new season”

Its general manager Euroleague, Paulius Motiegiounasspoke to Skweek and emphasized that his team’s entry Dubai it is not yet a given and must be done gradually in order to limit the risks. At the same time, he ruled out the possibility of changing the format or increasing the number of teams in the organization in the new season, leaving open this possibility for the future, as well as the establishment of regions or the All Star Game.

Paulius Motiegiounas spoke in detail about:

-the team entry from Dubai: “It is logical that there is interest and it is positive that there is a desire from both sides. We are talking about an excellent city, with an amazing stadium. The decision is difficult, because we are talking about another continent, another culture and completely different data. Negotiations take time because the decision is not easy. The teams will vote, it hasn’t happened yet, but we’re going step by step. Of course there are doubts, but we don’t see doubt on the faces of the people running the project. It’s a challenge for everyone. The Euroleague has a very high level and if you enter it it will be like jumping on a train that runs at 120 km per hour. There is a risk, we want to minimize it so our proposal is to go to something smaller, that’s why we are talking about the Dubai team entering the Eurocup first and showing their value there.”

-the possibility of increasing the Euroleague teams: “In the new season we will have the same format. We go step by step, there is no clear plan. We want to see what will happen with the Russian teams, when they will be able to come back, what will happen with the Eurocup… There are many things to consider. We don’t want to be a closed league, we never were. Eurocup is our second event, which is very important and big clubs participate. We give everyone the chance to fight to get into the Euroleague. We also want to develop the Eurocup, where we see which clubs are growing. It is difficult to enter the EuroLeague directly, so this is an intermediate step.”

-whether a possible increase in teams will lead to the holding of the Euroleague in regions: “It’s a possibility, but we’re focusing on a format where every team will play every other team. This element is the core of the Euroleague’s success.”

-whether there will be an All Star Game of the Euroleague: “It probably won’t happen in the new season. It is significant that so many teams are still in contention for qualification to the top ten. The All Star Game and other events are on our list, but we have to see how the calendar plays out. Of course it will be great to gather all the teams and sponsors not only for the Final 4, but also for one more event during the season.”

-relations with FIBA: “I believe that stopping the Euroleague for these windows was the first step. We are now talking to the teams to see how they have received this window. It takes a lot of changes and a lot of work to understand if we are going in the same direction, but there is communication and that makes us happy.”