By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
It’s the season to be jolly, but not in the case of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Fenerbahce and ASVEL, which must take a more than crucial decision for their future sooner than later.
Per Eurohoops sources, the four teams have to sign the new EuroLeague ten-year licenses until the 15th of January. If not, then their future in European competitions will be a question mark.
With that being said, all four cases are different and if the clubs don’t sign, then the EuroLeague reaction will not be the same for everyone.
After all, the current contracts expire on the 30th of June and in theory, clubs can sign the new licenses until then. However, the rest of the EuroLeague clubs which have already signed the new licenses can’t wait until the 11th hour to make their planning for the future and the majority of the Board members are expected to decide that the extension offer currently on the table for these four clubs will no longer be valid.
At this point with ASVEL being the first club fined by the new Financial Fair Play regulations after not meeting the minimum budget obligations and with ASVEL owner Tony Parker announcing to the press that he intends to go to court, protesting this decision, it’s obvious that the French club is not expected to sign and that the EuroLeague won´t be waiting for them.
Unless a spectacular turnaround happens, ASVEL will compete in the Basketball Champions League starting in the 2026-27 season, waiting to get a spot in the NBA Europe project.
That might end up being a scenario also for Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Fenerbahce, even if their situation is different.
Real Madrid and Barcelona are founding EuroLeague clubs and while they are considering the move to the NBA backed project, multiple sources insists that nothing is signed or decided, because the NBA has not presented yet a concrete roadmap for the future.
The same can be said for Fenerbahce, which has not yet signed the new EuroLeague license.
Barcelona and Fenerbahce have publicly stated their support to the EuroLeague and are in very advanced conversations with the League to renew their commitments. Barcelona asked to sign the license with an opt-out clause, but the EuroLeague is asking for true commitment.
It is hard to see a scenario where some of these teams will move to the Champions League for undetermined number of seasons until the NBA Europe project starts, but during the last EuroLeague board some shareholders where bullish about this being the case if these teams do not formalize their commitment by January 15. The BCL has witnessed great improvements throughout the last season, but economic revenues and competitive level are far from EuroLeague standards, with the league still losing money according to FIBA’s annual financial report.
If the new EuroLeague licenses are signed, this will be a concrete message to everyone. If not, clubs with no license will have to negotiate individually and the other shareholders are expected to ask for tougher conditions, making things even more complicated…