By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Ten out of the eleven EuroLeague Licensed Clubs issued a joint statement regarding the statements made by Panathinaikos owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos which they consider as “repeated grave and unfounded defamations”.
Anadolu Efes, Olimpia Milano, CSKA Moscow, Barcelona, Fenerbahce Beko, Baskonia, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Olympiacos Piraeus, Real Madrid and Zalgiris Kaunas all sign the statement.
When he announced that Panathinaikos BC is up for sale, Giannakopoulos attacked EuroLeague CEO Jordi Bertomeu and described him as the “sole responsible for EuroLeague reaching point zero” while criticizing the operations of the competition when it comes to revenues. The boss of Panathinaikos also said that “Maccabi Tel Aviv, Olympiacos and Panathinaikos sustain EuroLeague” and talked about clubs “that live off state money and take loans” “and “take money from football budgets.”
The ten clubs also expressed their “firm desire” for Panathinaikos to stay in EuroLeague. Panathinaikos president Manos Papadopoulos sent a letter to EuroLeague, expressing the intention of the club to leave the competition and asking for its shares to be transferred. Giannakopoulos had also said that he hopes to see the team out of EuroLeague and joining FIBA’s Basketball Champions League.
The statement is as follows:
Statement by 10 EuroLeague Licensed Clubs:
In light of the recent statements made by Mr. Dimitris Giannakopoulos, the ten EuroLeague Licensed Clubs wish to express the following:
1. All ten clubs, with no exception, have believed in the collective Euroleague Basketball project and continue to believe in it.
2. The clubs remain united and strong together, having achieved success thanks to this unity.
3. The positive evolution of the EuroLeague in the past 20 years, and most especially in the last decade, has only strengthened this belief and the determination of the group to continue building on its success and bringing European basketball to the next level. This growth has been outstanding with regards to reach, awareness and following of the EuroLeague, but also regarding the economics around it. This has attracted numerous business partners to the EuroLeague ecosystem who see the property as the perfect tool to drive additional growth for their organizations.
4. Since 2000 the EuroLeague Licensed Clubs have established the highest standards of integrity. These include financial, regulatory, transparency, disciplinary and officiating aspects, to mention only those that have been questioned. Such governance standards can be compared only with those of the best sports organizations in the world.
5. The EuroLeague, according to every projection and analysis, continues to enjoy an immense potential for future growth. The clubs remain fully determined to continue taking all necessary steps to bring European professional club basketball to the next level and to deliver the highest-quality competition on the continent to an ever-increasing fanbase.
6. All clubs express their firm desire for Panathinaikos Athens to continue on the EuroLeague path because the club has been an integral part of this venture over the past 19 years. However, the repeated grave and unfounded defamations made by Mr. Giannakopoulos will not be tolerated. The clubs will take any action that they deem necessary to protect the reputation and integrity of their collective and individual properties, and to ensure that the club complies in full with every obligation to which it has committed itself as a member of the group.
Signed by: Anadolu Efes Istanbul, AX Armani Exchange Milan, CSKA Moscow, FC Barcelona, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv, Olympiacos Piraeus, Real Madrid and Zalgiris Kaunas.