Moiyenouna: “The Euroleague of the future will have more Panathinaikos and Olympiacos will go to the Final Four”

Interview with Serbian “Mozzart Sport”, given the Euroleague CEO, Poultry!

The Lithuanian CEO of the event talked about the new Financial Fair Play that will be implemented by next season, to increase the number of teams in the Euroleague, for the creation of a new event from FIBA ​​and NBA, for the possibility of returning Russian teams, while giving it a return to Russian teams. Four of Abu Dhabi.

In detail what he said:



For the new Financial Fair Play that will apply to the Euroleague: “It is very interesting to see how it will work. It took us a lot of time to get to the point of agreeing with the clubs and implementing it. We need to see how it will be applied with the course of time, it is different in theory and otherwise in practice. The Financial Fair Play was created to help teams control the amounts they spend on their players’ salaries and make the championship even more competitive. ”

It’s not like the NBA’s salary cup. We don’t set a limit. Some want to spend more, some less. It is a control system that you need to keep in mind when you make a team. I believe it will be very interesting to see the strategy of the teams. It will not be easy, every team has its problems. We always say that the Euroleague must be self -sustaining and that all teams must be financially stable. I think these rules are the right step in this direction to control expenditure. On paper it is always different than in practice. We will always be in touch with the clubs so they have no problem making the best possible teams. “.

On how he sees the Euroleague of the future:“I see it with more teams involved, with the same intensity, so that each race is as important as it is so far. I always thought you had to try new things. So we will go to Abu Dhabi for the Final Four, so we are talking to the team from Dubai. The Adriatic League took the first step and invited it. We don’t just think of markets like those of France, Germany and England ».

For Serbian teams: “The passion of fans in Serbia is amazing! Everyone wants to see games in Belgrade and experience the incredible atmosphere! Of course, we want to punish the Serbian teams less, but we respect them indefinitely. We want to see this passion in other Euroleague markets ».

On whether Serbian teams will participate in the Euroleague in the coming years: “At the moment, we are not thinking of changing the system. We have 13 groups as long -term members and at the moment we are not talking about expansion. However, we are certainly watching what Belgrade teams do with both fans and results. We are very happy to be part of the Euroleague ».

For how many teams would be ideal for Euroleague: “We can hardly overcome the 20 teams according to the existing model, where everyone plays in the form of a championship. With another model, we could reach 24 teams, but we have to maintain stability and quality. This is the most important thing. If we want to maintain the same format and have 24 groups, for example, we need to create regions. There would be too many games. The biggest problem in the Euroleague is the pressured calendar. We always try to find solutions with FIBA. It’s not easy, but we always try to have a balance. We don’t want to bored basketball fans. We all work to find the ideal scenario ».

Whether Dubai’s team will enter the Euroleague: “There are discussions. Much depends on whether we are expanding the championship. We need to see what everything will be like, but the clubs will have the last reason. We told them that they should first play in a domestic event, in this case is the ABA League. At the moment I can’t exclude any scenario ».

For the scenario of creating a new event by FIBA ​​and NBA: “We want to know more about it. We are trying to get in touch with both the NBA championship and the FIBA. We have a quality product, we want to grow. I believe that Europe does not need another event. We are ready to work with everyone. It is not reasonable to create a new championship now ».

For the possible return of Russian groups to Euroleague: “As the war continues, so are the sanctions on Russian clubs. Something new is happening with Trump, the situation goes in a new direction, but it’s hard to make a decision. We are watching developments. There are problems with how Russian groups can make their payments and how the other teams will go to Russia. We hope the door reopen when the war is over ».

For which groups he expects to go to the Final Four: “This year’s Euroleague is very interesting. Just see Real Madrid’s position. I would say that Panathinaikos, Olympiacos and Fenerbahce will go to the Final Four, but everything is open. Maybe I would say to Monaco, but you saw that he was defeated by Maccabi. “.