Euroleague assures that “European basketball is not in crisis nor does it need anyone to save and reinvent it”

The Euroleague is clear that “European basketball is not in crisis” nor does it “need anyone to save or reinvent it” and that is why it defends the current model at a time when a new competition sponsored by the NBA and supported by FIBA ​​is expected to land in Europe in 2027, which “is far from essential and intrinsic values ​​in many aspects of how the sport of basketball is understood” on the continent.

“European basketball is not in crisis, it is growing and does not need anyone to save it or anyone to reinvent it. We are not facing a future promise, we are facing measurable, stable and sustainable growth, and the important thing is that this value that is generated is completely reinvested in Europe,” said Alex Ferrer Kristjansson, head of Marketing and Communications of the Euroleague in his appearance this Tuesday at the Education, Professional Training and Sports Commission of the Congress of Deputies.

In any case, for the Euroleague “it is difficult to understand” FIBA’s support for this future new competition. “Basketball has not been invented by the Euroleague either, nor is it going to be reinvented by the NBA, nor by FIBA, nor by anyone,” he reiterated. “I think it needs evolution and surely there are many things to perfect, and in a collaborative environment we could probably find many synergies that further accelerate the growth that we are experiencing in recent years,” he highlighted.

For the manager, “it is understandable and, probably also inevitable, that economic actors put their focus on this product, since future growth prospects are even more promising.” “We do not close the doors to these interests, but always, from a perspective of analyzing the added value that they can provide,” he warned.

Ferrer stressed that Europe “has built a unique sports model for decades, based on merit, territorial cohesion, solidarity between levels and community roots” and “the result of a certain way of understanding sport as a public good, as a space for integration and as a cultural expression.”

“Today European basketball is experiencing a moment of growth, dynamism and international projection. And precisely because it is growing, it is the right time to reflect on how we want it to evolve,” continued the Euroleague Marketing Manager.

This referred to “the plans of entities that until now were unrelated to the organization of club competitions in Europe”, such as the NBA’s project together with FIBA ​​to create a “new elite competition” in the Old Continent and that would rival the current top club competition. “In our humble opinion, it is far from essential and intrinsic values ​​in many aspects of how European basketball is understood,” he clarified.

“It is not about opposing anyone, of course, it is about ensuring that the future of European basketball remains aligned with the values ​​that have made the sport strong on our continent and protecting the social and community dimension that it has, avoiding a debate that confronts its social and economic projection, because when we talk about European basketball, we talk about something more than competition, it is about identity, territory, community and Europe,” Ferrer highlighted.

MAINTAINING “THE CENTER OF GRAVITY OF DECISIONS” IN EUROPE

For this reason, they are “open to growth and cooperating with new ideas”, but without forgetting “very clear principles.” “We believe in international openness, we have our hand extended to dialogue and cooperation, but this growth cannot imply disassociation. Any evolution must guarantee European governance, respect for the legal framework of the Union, protection of sporting merit, reinvestment in the local ecosystem and competitiveness with national leagues,” the manager continued.

He does not consider this issue “an ideological debate” but rather a “question of coherence” with the European model, which “is not a market to which external formulas are applied.” “If the center of gravity of decisions moves outside of Europe, the institutions to guarantee regulatory coherence and democratic accountability are reduced,” he pointed out.

In this sense, “it is not about closing Europe” but rather about the continent “maintaining the ability to define its own model” and that European basketball “continues to be a priority and not a commercial tool to serve other interests.” “We should not close ourselves to investments, as long as they contribute tangible value to European basketball, their objectives are faithful to the values ​​of European sport and they deliver an incremental return that is reinvested in Europe,” he stressed.

The head of Marketing and Communications of the Euroleague insisted that “European basketball is not a homogeneous product.” “It is a network of territorial identities that go from Kaunas to Belgrade, Vitoria, Valencia, Barcelona or Madrid. Hobbies are not occasional consumers, they are a community,” he warned, calling for “joint and dialogued efforts towards a collaboration that strengthens it even more and protects it from this fragmentation that puts at risk everything built so far and that would mean damage that is difficult to repair.”

“EUROLEAGUE’S FIRM POSITION IS TO AVOID CONFLICTS”

Alex Ferrer also demanded “the development and protection of European talent against its extraction”, recalling that “60 percent of the players in the Euroleague are European”, and that the players “are an asset to be protected not to be exploited”. In this sense, he called for the need for protection against the flight of talent to universities in the United States, whose regulations for taking young people are seen as “unfair competition that puts this entire machinery for generating talent and quarries at risk.”

“If you invest in creating and helping to develop a player for ten years and when he reaches the age of being a professional he is going to play for another team and your performance is therefore zero, it is a concern that we share one hundred percent and that we have expressed it to FIBA, which is the one that regulates transfers. We believe that there has to be a regulation that in some way recognizes this investment in generating talent, not only of the Euroleague clubs, but also of other clubs that transfer talent to them,” he stated in this regard.

Finally, he did not hide that the Euroleague, “far from being perfect, represents a European model that already works, grows and can be reformed from within and under European values.” “And we come with an attitude of cooperation, of dialogue, obviously, but always with principles,” he stated in his speech at the commission.

Subsequently, when asked by the deputies of the different parliamentary groups, Ferrer stressed that his organization does not compete “with the NBA, the national teams or the national leagues” because “the growth of all of them” will “benefit” them, while he did not hide that they consider “a mistake in terms of increasing interest in basketball” the implementation by FIBA ​​of the national team ‘windows’, although they have tried to avoid that “conflict.”

“That is the firm position of the Euroleague, to avoid these conflicts between different competitions and to try to manage all these issues in a much more collaborative and much more dialogued way and not each one on their own,” he added in this regard.