EuroLeague CEO Jordi Bertomeu has quickly dismissed the ongoing safety concerns in regards to having Istanbul as a host city for the end-of-season Final Four next May.
Bertomeu admits that there is a risk in having the Final Four in Turkey next year, but also there is a potential risk everywhere you go.
The EuroLeague’s CEO then went on to say that he felt safe being in the Turkish city, where he announced that the Sinan Erdem Dome will host next year’s showpiece event.
“Anything can happen in Barcelona, in Istanbul, anywhere,” Bertomeu said. “Our responsibility is to stick to our plan, be clear with our goals in order for our partners to know what to expect. We feel as safe in Istanbul as in every other European city. We haven’t had such an issue for over 15 years.”
Istanbul’s Sinan Erdem Dome was the site for perhaps one of the most talked about Final Four in its history in 2012 when Olympiacos fought from 19 points down to beat CSKA Moscow in the final with Georgios Printezis hitting the game winner with 0.7 seconds remaining.
EuroLeague Basketball officials were hopeful of announcing that Istanbul would host the Final Four before last season’s finale in Berlin but held off due to ongoing safety concerns, mostly caused by terror attacks and various protests in the city.
The host city was then thrown into limbo with several countries declaring their interest to house the Final Four as replacements, should Istanbul be deemed unsafe. Belgrade were heavy favourites to stage the showpiece with Paris also in the running.
Instead, the officials have decided to go with their original choice but Bertomeu has said that they were in talks with Belgrade who are in line to host the 2018 Final Four with Moscow’s new VTB Arena in line to headline the 2019 edition.
“I confirm we are in talks with the VTB Arena, the new venue that is under construction in Moscow,” Bertomeu said. “We will announce details for the 2019 Final Four soon, just not yet.”
The 2017 Final Four will take place on May 19 with the championship game taking place on May 21.
