As it was made known today by Euroleague, via their official website, Euroleague Chairman Mr. Jordi Bertomeu, General Secretary of FIBA Mr. Borislav Stankovic, the Serbian clubs, the President of the Serbian Basketball Federation and the Adriatic League have come to a full consenses which will see Adriatic League receiving Euroleague B licenses.
The agreement will allow Adriatic clubs to access the Euroleague by the following criteria:
– The sporting results obtained by the clubs in the Adriatic League and in their national leagues.
– Their results in the three European competitions Also, though in lesser measure
The results will be based on a system of coefficients, establishing a transitory period until the 2010-11 season during which the rights acquired by the clubs according to the Adriatic League rules will be respected.
The agreement will see that other changes are made too, like reducing the number of participating clubs in the Adriatic League to 12, modifying that competition's by-laws, and maintaining its current system of access to the Eurocup.
In the press conference at which the agreement was announced, both Mr. Stankovic and Mr. Bertomeu, who acted as mediators in the conversations, thanked the clubs, the Adriatic League and the Serbian Basketball Federation for their effort and willingness to cooperate, both of which permitted the negotiations to reach a positive conclusion that resolves the last outstanding issue in the restructuring of the Euroleague for next season.
Mr. Stankovic, General Secretary of FIBA, said:
"Today we have reached a historic moment for Serbian basketball, we have been working together so as to improve the situation in the area and we have reached this agreement. The Adriatic League will be soliciting FIBA Europe to officially recognize the Adriatic League as the league representative of the area. We have established the changes that need to be made and the timings for these changes. Euroleague has agreed to help us make these changes and ensure the end of the conflict."
Mr. Lorbek, President of the Adriatic League, stated:
"We are very satisfied with the conclusion of the meetings that have been held and with the agreement that has been reached. I would like to thank all the clubs and especially Partizan for their collaboration and efforts that have been made in this agreement. I am committed to making sure that the changes take place, which will be very positive for basketball in the area and for the Adriatic League. I would like to thank Euroleague for its role in the negotiations and assisting in making this possible. This agreement will bring stability and new perspectives to basketball in the area."
Finally, the CEO of Euroleague, Mr. Jordi Bertomeu said:
"I would like to thank everyone, especially Mr. Stankovic, for his role in these negotiations, whose experience, moral authority and discretion has made this negotiation possible. I would also like to thank Partizan for understanding the part they have to play in the principles of the restructuring included in the Strategic Plan. As we have said we have been working with representatives across Europe and this agreement lets us reach a consensus so that we can move forward with the restructuring of Euroleague in the next season."
In recent months, the Euroleague has worked intensely to listen, attend to and solve the potential problems the system created according to the unique idiosyncrasies of each European country and zone. With the agreement reached for the awarding of B Licenses to Adriatic League clubs, and thanks to the strong cooperation with Mr. Stankovic, Euroleague concludes this process, which leads to the establishment of the new format for next season with the near-unanimous approval of European basketball.
Source: www.euroleague.net