By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
It was obvious from the first moment that the “disaster” who many were afraid of didn’t happen. And while the ongoing FIBA vs EuroLeague debate continues to hurt the prestige of basketball in Europe, there’s once again hope for a compromise.
The point is that there’s a need for cooperation – and the numbers can prove it – and also in many cases, the local fans were present in order to help their national team, especially in countries which do not have top-level basketball clubs.
FIBA decided most of the national team games to be played in mid-sized arenas and that choice proved to be right.
According to the official numbers of the international federation in Bursa, 6.500 Turkish fans were present in the game against Latvia. In Germany, 5.000 fans attended the game against Georgia. Italy played in front of a sold out – but small – gym and 3.100 Dutch fans celebrated the win of their team against Croatia.
Home games in France, Romania, Hungary, Serbia, Lithuania, Ukraine and Finland attracted per average more than 5.000 fans. On the other hand, it should be noted that many other games, including those of defending champions Slovenia, Greece and Spain, were played before a limited audience. However, this was not such a bad start.
The ideal scenario remains obvious. National team games which will include the best possible games and marquee names from the EuroLeague and the NBA. FIBA believes that the absence of those kinds of players will open spots for new stars and everyone loves the story of an underdog, but this can’t be a long-term strategy that can compensate for the missing talent. Still, the “windows” are an idea that can help basketball in Europe, especially if the vision of FIBA is to find the way and include the best players in the world.