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The Lithuanian vice champions, along with Daruššafaka from Istanbul (Turkey) and Retabet from Bilbao (Spain), decided to compete in the Champions League organized by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) from next season.
At a remote press conference on Monday Delphi Referring to this maneuver, Mr. Bertomeu did not wrap the words too much in watts.
When asked if Rytas could easily return to the European Cup in the future if he changed his mind in the future, the 61-year-old Spaniard made no secret of his skepticism about Vilnius’ transfer to another field.
“We are open to any team, including the East. I wish they had the ambition to ascend to the strongest European club championship: the Euroleague. But we will not allow clubs to travel back and forth in different leagues each year. And we have never We acted and we will not act like the Champions League, which, from what I have heard, guaranteed newcomers long-term contracts and even offered a lump sum payment for the European Cup transition.
Those who have ambitions to play in the Euroleague know that the path leads through the European Cup. If someone gives up those diversions, we must respect that too. All you need is a clear ambition for the club to play with the strongest. I hope that someday “Rytas” will come back with a project like that, because it was a very solid club and it should be like that again, “said J. Bertomeu.
We remind you that the Daruššafaka club has announced that it has received a FIBA guarantee for the next three seasons, regardless of its performance in the national championship.
The media also reported that FIBA had promised several hundred benefits to the three fugitives.
Delphi When asked if Lithuania could delegate another club to the European Cup next season in place of Rytas, J. Bertomeu appreciated that opportunity.
“You know that Lithuania is a very important country for us. As long as the requirements are met, it is very important for us to have a Lithuanian team in the tournament. All the more as we already know about the Lithuanian clubs that want to fight for the European Cup” , said the president of the Euroleague, probably referring to the Panevėžys Lietkabelis, who has already submitted an application.
Representatives from the capital of Aukštaitija won the bronze in the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL), which ended earlier this year, therefore, in principle, it is the most logical candidacy to replace “Rytas”.
However, the champions and award winners were not named after the end of the basketball seasons in all countries. As a result, more nominal invitations to the European Cup are likely to be distributed in the summer than usual.
“The national leagues have decided differently on the results of this season, which will make it difficult to maintain the usual selection principle. In the coming weeks, we will try to reach the most logical solutions, taking into account first the results of the national championships, then the ambitions and prospects of specific clubs, ”said J. Bertomeu.
The Euroleague president also claimed that there were too many four basketball tournaments for the continent and hoped that the coronavirus crisis would be a good opportunity to find common ground with FIBA.
“It just caught our eye then. That is probably the case now. So we started talking to FIBA in the past few months. Both sides are focused on their problems, but a pandemic, and not just that, should spark these conversations. There is a new reality ahead, and everyone will have to try to adapt, “said the Spaniard.
We remind you that on March 12. Fearing the risk of spreading the infection, the Euroleague regular season was halted 6 rounds before the end.
At the 18-team table, Kaunas “Žalgiris” ranked ninth at the time (12/16) and reached the quarterfinals, with the top being occupied by the Istanbul team “Anadolu Efes” (Turkey) ( 4/24).
After following the development of the pandemic for several months and looking for opportunities to continue the season, the Euroleague prepared a plan to end the competition from July 4 to 26 with all the teams gathered in one city. Kaunas was among the applicants to organize the final tournament.
However, this idea was rejected by the Euroleague players’ association, which feared both the risk of uncontrolled coronavirus and the risk of injury from too short a preparation.
The resumption of the season was also rejected by some of the 11 long-term Euroleague licensed clubs.
Euroleague clubs and tournament management, who met remotely on Monday, finally decided to make a point. The remaining season of the European Cup has been canceled.
Neither the Euroleague nor the European Cup winners will be announced.
At the same time, it was announced that all participants from the 18 Euroleague and European Cup clubs, who reached the quarterfinals, will retain their places in the upcoming season, which will start on October 1.
In an official statement, the Euroleague stated that the decision was made taking into account security challenges, uneven opportunities for teams to prepare for the season finale, travel restrictions and the risk of injury.
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