Komnenos: “The time is now for the unity of European basketball”

THE Patrick Komnenos, in an open-air meeting with journalists in Belgrade, talked about all the burning issues of European basketball, defended Belgrade’s decision saying with leadership that “We care that they don’t do the easy thing, but the right thing” and sent the message for European basketball unity “The time is now”. What he said in detail:

For the highly balanced season: “Season 8 has been dubbed by everyone as the season that tends to infinity as we look to the future and want to make the event grow to infinity despite the fact that it is only 8 years old. We are happy in Belgrade, in this historic stadium. This season has been the most competitive in the BCL to date and the feedback we receive from all parties involved, teams, players, coaches, journalists and partners agree that it is a very competitive season: Three Spanish teams who are in The Top 5 of ACB and Peristeri who are at the top of the Greek league. However, the previous phase was also very spectacular.”

On the selection of Belgrade as the venue for the Final Four: “When we started the process of choosing the city and the stadium to host the Final Four, for us it was one of the priorities to come to a neutral stadium and bring our own show. When we first looked at the options, Belgrade was not the main candidate. But we wanted to be innovative and took a leap of faith in innovation with the glass floor and started thinking about the best place to install it. Being able to play in this innovative stadium was one of our priorities. We also took geopolitical factors into account and bet on Belgrade being able to support the glass floor and showcase it in a spectacular setting. We are happy with the selection, there have been two spectacular semi-finals with scoring records and games decided in the closing stages.”

For the future to come: “We are in a process in which every year we want to improve and offer better conditions to the participating teams. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and we’re in the early stages. We want to continue to grow, to gain credibility. This is a journey that we want to continue to develop with a very high competitive level, attract great teams and help them develop… Our teams also tell us that they are happy with the social media exposure they get from their our corresponding working group”.

For the development of basketball in Europe: “We sit at the table with the Euroleague, there are common interests such as the development of club basketball and we all know that things have to change to increase the commercial interest that basketball requires. Interest in the intercollegiate level is growing, but the market is not aligned, we need to make the product more noticeable. There are many discussions and issues on the table and one of them is improving the ecosystem of club basketball, but it is part of a larger negotiation. We are pleased with the level of development on and off the pitch in the BCL, but there are still many things to be determined. It is positive that we can at least sit at the same table and discuss.”

On the impact of Spanish teams in the BCL: “In all the processes when we talk to the clubs we are very clear: for us the focus of the teams must be on the development of the national leagues, we need them to be strong, to develop their teams, their clubs, to develop players, who then they will feed the national teams. We believe that the teams betting on the BCL adopt these principles. Málaga is a clear example, Tenerife too… We must remember that 8 years ago Tenerife was the only Spanish team registered and has played in five Final Fours, Intercontinental Cup, and in the Spanish league they are constantly high… We started with one team and in this last season we had 9 teams from Spain apply. Málaga shares our values ​​and is committed to the right balance between the ACB League, which is the most competitive league in all of Europe, and the BCL. We are happy to be able to have three of the top five teams in the ACB.”

In the case of tickets: “The stadium was obviously not full, it’s true, but when making decisions there are many factors that need to be taken into account. Being able to bet on innovation was one of them. And I have said before that this year our goal was to find a stadium that could accommodate our innovation. The only way to ensure a sold out is to host the Final Four at one of the participating teams’ venues. The implementation of the stadium rezoning is a very complex process in terms of logistics and venues, and that is why we chose the neutral stadium of Belgrade. The needs we had were very specific. We know the importance of the presence of the fans. In the Final Four in Athens we had 20,000 fans and in Antwerp 17,000, in a neutral stadium, but we had to prioritize this look that we have towards the future, to break the barriers, to show what we want to do. We don’t do what’s easy, we do what’s right. And we are grateful to the city of Belgrade and the Belgrade Arena, as it is one of the most beautiful stadiums in Europe. It’s hard to fill a stadium in a neutral venue and there aren’t many events that can pull it off. We knew it was not an easy journey from Spain and Greece. But we are committed to this decision. We will keep working to keep growing. We have in the final two of the best teams in Europe, playing at an impressive level, in a big final and we hope that the stadium will have a similar audience in the stands.”

For possible changes to the conduct system: “It is an issue that we discuss and analyze at different levels all the time. There will be no changes next year. That’s for sure, There are teams that would like a format with more matches, while some others are happy to be able to offset their domestic competition matches with the European ones. For example, the Spanish are committed to this balance that allows them to continue to grow and consolidate in the ACB. What we don’t want to do is compromise the level of transparency of the event that we offer and everyone agrees on the high standard that exists on and off the pitch. We’re looking for the right level of balance.”

For the 10-year Euroleague contracts expiring in 2026 and if this is a risk to unity and negotiations in the event that there is no agreement by then: “For us, the most important thing from the first minute was to grow and contribute to shaping the basketball landscape. In 2016, when we started, we were clear that the event should be based on three main principles: access based on sports criteria with teams earning their participation on the court, no bans, and the third was to shape an overall ecosystem for basketball of clubs starting from Europe. And this is one of FIBA’s strategic pillars. We have spent 2.5 years of discussions and negotiations, which for all sides are motivated by the same motives, that is, the formation of a landscape that will favor the development of basketball. Each of the parties has its own priorities. And that makes sense. Every team wants to know what will happen the next day. There are also other factors that influence decisions, such as the expiration of 10-year contracts. Every club needs certainty, understanding and a picture of what basketball will look like in the future. And not only from us, but from everyone who belongs to the basketball community. I personally think the time is now. Not because we are influenced by external factors but because there is a common sense that requires it. And now all the ‘shareholders’ enter the discussion knowing exactly what they want”.

About ASB GlassFloor and the revolution it brought: “The coaches and the players are happy, the challenge is to take care of the pitch setup. The experience has been very positive for everyone since they entered the stadium for the first time. We had a chance to chat with them explaining a lot of the details and we think it’s something we’ll be seeing more often. Maybe in five years we’ll be saying we were there at the beginning when this started. FIBA has done a great job. Now the challenge is to introduce it as an option in the market. But our desire to break barriers, to seek boundaries, to be an incubator of innovation has become clear, it is in our DNA to accept the challenges that lie before us.”

For future challenges: “One of the challenges we face to be commercially attractive is to have a clear and understandable system. And this is something that is missing from club basketball in Europe. We need to be simple and clear to make this ecosystem more attractive. It is enough to bear in mind that basketball, the second sport in Europe, has barely generated 100 million turnover. All events together. We need organic growth for basketball itself, not for an emotional owner, for a football team or for politics. We want to support the development of clubs at all levels and that’s why we want to develop this right ecosystem. We are at the right time. Maturity has allowed us to understand this and all sides must see it and we must all make the necessary compromises for the good of basketball. Basketball is not something that only 13 teams play in Europe.”