Euroleague is a separate entity that runs itself internally through the votes of the teams that hold the title of shareholders. At the last meeting in November, it would be an understatement to say that Pandora’s box was opened. If it is not closed again really soon, then the standards that all of us have taken for granted since the inception of the idea will need to be changed. Similarly, the parameters of the algorithms that both the top-tier European betting establishments and the best Asian bookmakers use to determine their offers to the punters, will also have to be revised.
The 6-5 vote that ousted Jordi Bertomeu from the position of President and the membership to the Commercial Assets of the Euroleague is the issue that has gotten things rolling. It should be made clear that he is to remain as chief executive officer of the company.
The legal issue
The 5 teams that voted in favor of him remaining in office, are threatening to take the case to court, by arguing that the vote of CSKa Moscow (expelled from the league for as long as the war between Russia and Ukraine continued) should not have been cast and accepted. Should that be accepted then in all likelihood the tally would become 5-5 and Bertomeu would not have to step down. The other side claims that while the Russians have indeed been excluded from participating in the next season, they have not lost their shareholder status, and therefore the vote is valid.
However, it is the way that this issue seems to have separated the company into 2 blocks, that creates the problem. The Turkish and Spanish teams have sided with the Catalan, while the clubs from the rest of Europe (Greece, Italy, Israel, Lithuania, and Russia) are the ones that decided to oust the former president. It should be noted that some of those clubs have had disagreements with him in the past.
The next day
While the issue has not yet been resolved, Euroleague has decided to proceed with appointing new persons as President and General Director. For the former position, the candidate is none other than Dejan Bodiroga. There is no need to introduce him. For the majority of the fans, he is the best basketballer who never played in the NBA.
For the latter position, the individual proposed to take over is the American Marshall Glickman. He is already serving as Bertomeu’s advisor being a specialist on issues of strategies for professional athletic activities. Typically, at this time he is considered an outside contractor, as he is the founder of G2 Strategic company with Euroleague listed as a client.
Seemingly the real issue
Euroleague and FIBA have been opposing each other since the beginning. At this time the best players and the highest level are considered to be the one of the former, while the latter has been creating problems by setting dates for international competitions, where the basketballers could not participate. The pressure to resolve the confrontation from all parties involved, is probably what has led to the ousting of Jordi Bertomeu.
Rumor has it, that there have been discussions between the two parties and the NBA, with the end product being the formation of a European Conference as a third division of the American behemoth. This would indeed be a major change and the suggestion is that the Catalan be ousted so that there could be a rapprochement between the international federation and the separate entity, towards fulfilling this goal.
If indeed there will be a plan initiated to form a European Conference, then we are talking about an earthquake into the foundations of the sport. All sports bets blogs will be discussing it for years to come. Especially if the rumors become the truth. Which of course, begs the question: why do the Spaniards and the Turks oppose this groundbreaking future? We will follow up on this in the future!
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