The great decision in which Žalgiris will also raise his hand: why will the 11 leaders of the Euroleague vote? The | Euroleague

Žalgiris, CSKA Moscow, Athens Panathinaikos, Piraeus Olympiakos, Real Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Vitoria Baskonia, Tel Aviv Maccabi, Istanbul Anadolu Efes, Istanbul Fenerbach and Milan Olympia executives will join a virtual meeting on Monday morning, in which the head of the Euroleague, Jordi Bertomeu, hopes to play only an observer role.

If a club abstains and the result of the vote is the same, the head of the Euroleague will also have the last word. But these 11 clubs will have to decide the fate of the season after listening to the presentation of the Euroleague about the future scenarios, the professionals and the challenges of the sequel.

The decision of the main Euroleague clubs will have to be approved by the Assembly, which consists of 7 more Euroleague teams. If the season is prolonged, the Euroleague will also have to choose the hosts at the end of the season. 15 minutes Kaunas and Vilnius have a good chance of becoming them.

For Euroleague struggles to resume, at least six leaders must raise their hands at the meeting. Several of them have already resigned from their possible position at Monday’s meeting in communication with the media during the quarantine. Others deliberately did not predict the end of the season and refrained from commenting.

15 minutes He sniffed intuition in other Euroleague teams. Although question marks persist, some clubs may decide for themselves only after the Euroleague presentation on Monday.

What choice of Euroleague teams can you predict before Holy Monday?

Kaunas “Žalgiris”: for

There is no doubt about the voice of Kaunas “Žalgiris”.

Paulius Motiejūnas, who invites the Euroleague to Kaunas, is one of the biggest supporters of the continuation of the season.

When asked about the public doubts of other Euroleague leaders about the continuation of the season, P. Motiejūnas sent a clear message.

“For example, at Kaunas we do everything possible to make everything happen” 15 minutes assured the head of Žalgiris. – Many try to maintain neutrality. But when that day finally comes, we will all have to sit down with the cards open and decide. “

Kaunas has already reached the back of the Government: Saulius Skvernelis wrote an official letter to the Euroleague and assured him that he would do everything possible to take care of the safety of all Lithuanian guests.

Starting Monday, the Lithuanians of “Žalgiris” began to choose the team’s training. If the situation requires it, other team members who have gone abroad should return to Lithuania. Bet 15 minutes As far as we know, many Žalgiris doubt the continuation of the season and do not voluntarily burn to play in the summer.

However, it is not the basketball players who will raise their hands, but the leaders of the club. Žalgiris will speak in favor of saving the Euroleague season.

Moscow CSKA: against

The boss of Euroleague champions Andrei Vatutin was quite skeptical about the continuation of the season even before the coronavirus was so ingrained throughout Russia. On Thursday night, Russia with almost 9 thousand. It was the first in the world in terms of the number of COVID-19 infections per day. It is currently one of the hottest spots for coronaviruses in Europe.

Although Russia is talking about the possibility of resuming the soccer championship in late June and allowing professional athletes and coaches to return to the country, A. Vatutin’s statements point to only the only scenario.

“Regardless of how we want to see basketball again, I think it is more important now to prepare for next season, rather than trying to resurrect the dead season,” Vatutin told RBK a month ago.

He stressed that the players who returned to the field after a three-month break in July would only show the level of the preseason games and that would be a mistake in deciding the champions of the entire season. In addition, forcing players to compete in clubs would increase the risk of injury. Vatutin also emphasized that playing basketball without fans is pointless, because Euroleague TV ratings are not as high as in the NBA, so playing in an empty room is worth it.

15 minutes According to sources, A. Vatutin’s opinion should not have changed in recent weeks.

Panathinaikos of Athens: against

The Greek superclub did not communicate during the quarantine about the continuation of the Euroleague season. Athens is among the favorites to accept the decisive battles of the Euroleague, but the big question is whether Panathinaikos would be very happy to return to the square.

First of all, the PAO no longer has a boss. Coach Rick Pitin, who went to the United States after a pandemic in Europe and then agreed to coach the NCAA team.

Due to Panathinaika’s budget cut, team leader Nick Calathes, who has already returned to Florida with his family, is leaving Athens to interact with other Euroleague teams and will not see the need to wear PAO clothing again for three weeks. .

Another American, Jimmer Fredette, will not return to Panathinaikos, and more changes are expected in Athens.

Unlike Olympiacos, Panathinaikos does not even conduct team training.

Panathinaikos, who had been broken during quarantine, would not be ready to run properly on the season finish line. 15 minutes Sources say there is no sign of a desire to continue the season at PAO camp.

Piraeus Olympiakos: against

Olympiakos is another club that has not been publicly communicated about the continuation of the season.

Although several Piraeus basketball players have passed the coronavirus tests and have already returned to training, according to 15 minutes Sources, the Olympiacos players are doing more to keep fit rather than preparing for the return of the season.

Furthermore, according to local newspapers, Olympiakos has already agreed with the players for 2019-2020. seasonal wage payment.

There are not many questions in Piraeus: Georgios Bartzokas and his staff are already preparing for the upcoming season.

Real Madrid: for

Real Madrid has not publicly announced its intentions for the continuation of the Euroleague season. But as stated 15 minutes According to sources in Spain, the prevailing opinion is that some of the Euroleague favorites will tend to extend the season despite the fact that one of Real’s players, Trey Thompkins, was infected with a coronavirus at the start of the pandemic.

Barcelona: for?

In Barcelona, ​​some people can only walk the streets during certain set times, but the Barcelona Club is training again and preparing to run to the plaza.

Former Zalgiris Brandon Davies jokes on Twitter that we will soon see him no longer in the basketball arena, but in the soccer stadium.

Barcelona Club 2019-2020 because the season has reaped a fantastic lineup and invested such a large amount of money that it would be very frustrating for an organization to simply eliminate those unwarranted costs.

Both Real and Barcelona are in favor of reducing the teams in the ACB league and prioritizing the Euroleague over the Spanish championship.

That is why it is very realistic for Barcelona to speak in favor on Monday.

Vitoria Baskonia: before?

José Antonio Querejeta, president of Baskonia in Vitoria, spoke quite clearly about the continuation of the season.

“It seems to me that the continuation of the season is very complicated. It is easier for the ACB League to continue the season because we are in one country and we can meet in one city. The Euroleague covers more countries and their situation is different. I am quite pessimistic about the continuation of the Euroleague season, “Baskonia’s boss told Spanish media a week ago.

It is unlikely that the opinion of an experienced basketball coach has changed dramatically in such a short time.

The situation in the Basque Country differs from that of Barcelona and Madrid in that the Basque Country has many more financial concerns than it would like to close in 2019-2020. season.

J.Querejeta, on the other hand, has close friends with Euroleague chief Jordi Bertomeu and if the financial situation allows it, perhaps the Basques would support a favorable solution for the organizers.

Baskonia’s voice is one of those bigger intrigues, surrounded by more questions than answers. Although at the moment it seems more realistic of all the signals collected that Vitoria will vote against the extension of the season.

Tel Aviv Maccabi:?

Maccabi’s legionaries from Tel Aviv are unhappy, but are gradually returning to Israel. This seems to increase the likelihood that Maccabi will tend to extend not only the Israeli championship, but also the Euroleague season.

On the other hand, the schedules of the two tournaments intersect, which generates serious problems for Maccabi, which has caused a stir throughout the country. The Tel Aviv club wants to play in the Euroleague and push the national championship schedule, but local teams are opposed.

15 minutes Knowledge, Maccabi management does not have a unanimous decision. Different sources provide different information. Although important people in Maccabi’s team now predict a negative vote for Tel Aviv club executives at the Euroleague meeting.

But this is not predictable for Maccabi, the position of the Israeli superclub.

Anadolu Efes from Istanbul: against?

Alper Yilmaz, head of Anadolu Efes in Istanbul, said a week ago that he was pessimistic about the possibilities of extending the Euroleague season.

“The Euroleague is doing everything possible to play.” But the Euroleague is made up of teams from 10 different countries. A very good and complete organization would be needed so that the teams from the 10 countries can travel normally again and meet in one place. And the situation in other countries is very different. Despite enormous efforts, it seems that the Euroleague season will not be extended, “reasoned A. Ymazmaz.

When the Turkish Basketball League decided to end the season, Anadolu Efes emphasized in an official statement: “Our club respects this decision, which is based on protecting the health of all of us. The health of all of us is more valuable to the club than the titles of champions and other achievements. “

15 minutes Sources say Russian and Turkish clubs feel jailed due to strict border restrictions. It is the political situation and strict government instructions that are likely to have a decisive impact.

Although the opposite is said by Anadolu Efes strategist Ergin Ataman, whose team led long before quarantine at the Euroleague tournament table. He would like the season to continue.

Not all Anadolu Efes legionaries remained in Istanbul during the quarantine, but some of them, including former Žilgiras Vasilije Micičius, were able to play sports in the club’s training center. Basketball players, coaches and Anadolu Efes staff will be tested for coronaviruses on Friday.

Bet 15 minutes According to sources, Anadolu Efes players are reluctant to extend the season. Although there is still no consensus around the Anadolu Efes camp on Monday, the choice is likely dictated not by wishes but by the political situation.

Fenerbahche from Istanbul: against?

Another club in Istanbul, Fenerbahche, is in a much more difficult situation.

The great Turk now has more concerns than how to continue the season. Those who did not survive the best financial period in Fenerbahche in the first weeks of quarantine tried to control the information chaos that prevailed after speculation about the future of Željko Obradovič.

Fenerbahche may be rocked by many changes in the summer, and the club faces a serious budget cut, making it now more important for the Istanbul club to address its survival and future. Furthermore, at the start of the pandemic, up to four Fenerbahche members were infected with the coronavirus.

15 minutes Sources in Turkey predict that Fenerbahce is likely to rule against it.

Olympia Milan: against?

Another difficult voice to predict in Monday’s session. Although 15 minutes According to sources, the Milan Olympics are likely to vote against the continuation of the Euroleague season.

Christas Stavropoulas, the leader of the Italian team, also hesitantly hinted at the pessimistic scenario of the season.

“The Euroleague is doing everything possible to continue the season.” However, the situation is different in each state. We have 10 different countries with different legal systems. That is why I am not optimistic about the extension of the season, “said the Greek in Gazzetta dello Sport.

Judging by the criticism, the Milan club is preparing more for the next season, not for the continuation of the competition.

conclusion

There is still a lot of speculation about the Euroleague team headquarters.

If Jordi Bertomeu invited basketball players instead of Euroleague club leaders to the meeting, the verdict would be much easier to predict: the curtain on the season would drop immediately.

However, the video conference will feature leaders from 11 teams with completely different needs. And in the past few weeks, there has been more optimism in the Euroleague team offices than at the beginning of the quarantine.

The choice of some clubs is already clear and, based on preliminary predictions, it seems that we will hear more “against” than “for” at the meeting. Furthermore, clubs that did not attend the meeting with long-term commitments to the Euroleague are also more skeptical. But several voting teams are not yet in a strong position and these next few days may still present surprises.

Everyone is looking forward to the big decision: both unsafe players and basketball fans have run out of sports and Euroleague club leaders.