By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
In a press conference before the game of ASVEL against Anadolu Efes, it was confirmed that the French club – and probably Bayern Munich – will officially get their long term EuroLeague license in late February or early March, when the EuroLeague board will discuss the matter.
The plan was already announced in November and ALBA Berlin is the next club on the line to get a long-term commitment with the EuroLeague.
As Jordi Bertomeu said ASVEL “is a candidate for obtaining a permanent license in the Euroleague. Last November, the Euroleague board authorized our plan. A Euroleague of 18 clubs with a long-term license for each club. ASVEL is one of the first teams to apply, like Bayern Munich. We are in need of a solid French club in this competition”.
While in theory, the 11 clubs which already have such a license must agree, as Bertomeu explained “it’s difficult to imagine that this agreement will not be signed.
For Tony Parker, this will be the fulfillment of his biggest long term goal with ASVEL, as he explained: “It was the number one goal since I took over the club in 2014. The discussions are positive, I can’t wait for it to become official, we are near the finish line and I am happy”.
The fact that ASVEL will have soon a new arena played a key role in this outcome. Jean-Michel Aulas, the president of the football club Olympique Lyonnais, who is also part owner of ASVEL, added: “We know that to have a project of this dimension, you must have a certain financial strength. The arena is progressing. This large-scale project must allow basketball to shine and succeed. Today basketball is not what it was 20 years ago. This arena has all the characteristics one can imagine to have an above-average degree of satisfaction”.
In mid-December, the elected officials of the Lyon metropolitan area had voted for the launch of the procedure for modifying the local urban plan, which permits the construction of the “Arena de Décines”. The new gym is expected to have a 15.000 capacity and be ready by 2023.