EuroLeague Basketball Chief Operations Officer, Eduard J. Scott, talked exclusively to TalkBasket.net and referred to the FIBA windows and more.

Here is what the experienced executive said:

On the new EuroLeague season: “In general, since the format changed, EuroLeague became a top league, an elite competition. On paper, there are teams that are the favourites to reach the playoffs and the Final Four and other that can make the surprise.

However, it is far too early in the season to make an analysis. We expect teams to have ups and downs, win streaks, a couple of losses and we certainly believe the season will be exciting and very competitive.”

On whether the EuroLeague is satisfied with the current format: “We are very, very satisfied with the new format. As EuroLeague Basketball, the goal was to create a top league and reach a competition system.

In terms of fan engagement, viewership, audience and the number of visitors, we are very happy with the growth in the past couple of years and work very hard to reach a bigger audience.”

On the EuroLeague expansion: “The majority stakeholders -the clubs- made the decision to expand to 18 teams (from next season onwards). Two wild cards will be given to clubs in Germany and France, respectively. However, it is unlikely the league will expand beyond 18 teams anytime soon. Under the current status quo, we don’t foresee an expansion in the following years.”

On whether the EuroLeague expansion can include teams from traditional powerhouses, like Serbia: “In terms of different types of markets, there are countries (like Lithuania, Croatia, Serbia, etc) that have a big history and tradition and produce elite players, coaches and referees on an annual basis. And certainly they are part of the EuroLeague and the EuroCup.

United Kingdom since 2011 has been a strategic identified market and EuroLeague Basketball had established a strategic plan for the UK. Obviously, in the short and mid-term, there are currently no projects and clubs able to compete in the EuroLeague and the EuroCup.

Above all, we can’t speculate or discuss hypothetical situations and realities.”

On the conflict between the EuroLeague and Panathinaikos and if the league will be less tolerant in the future: “Like any other professional organisation, EuroLeague has regulations that have been approved by the clubs. Last season, unfortunately, there were a number of events and actions that went against these regulations.

The conclusion of the disciplinary proceedings regarding Mr. Giannakopoulos resulted in a number of sanctions and suspensions. After the end of the season, Mr. Giannakopoulos made a public apology and the EuroLeague Basketball CEO took the decision to suspend the pending sanctions, which are on probation at the moment.

We don’t foresee to have similar incidents in the future. But, we expect everybody (players, coaches, fans, referees, journalists, etc) to share the same perspective of mutual respect.

We are happy that the season has started and people focus on what happens on the court and don’t discuss off-court incidents.”

Photo: EuroLeague Basketball

On rule development and changes:When there is a rule change, the target is to make the sport better. There were some rule changes in the past that took the sport backwards. The rule changes that applied a few weeks ago are the ones that have been approved by FIBA. When there are changes in the rules, our target is to make the game better for everyone (fans, players, referees).”

On the conversation concerning officiating: “There is a lot of conversation around officiating in basketball, mainly because of the culture of the fans and media and not just because of the referees’ performance.

This off-season, the clubs approved a number of reformations to increase the EuroLeague brand and protect the product. There will be private communication between the officiating department and the clubs in terms of the referees’ performance. Also, there will be no public discussion and there will be a move to private communication channels.”

On Patrick Baumann: “We are still in shock and grief. Our thoughts are with his family. Patrick dedicated his entire life in basketball in different roles and he was a champion for basketball.

He carried the basketball flag everywhere in the world and we are grateful for everything he did for basketball.”

On the FIBA WC Qualifiers and the problems they have created to the EuroLeague clubs: “In the past couple of years, many people have made many public statements about the windows, the FIBA WC Qualifiers, etc. The position of EuroLeague Basketball hasn’t changed, there is no mutual agreement. National team basketball has a very important role to play in the promotion and growth of the sport.

We don’t see the scheduling of the windows to be beneficial for the sport. Over the past four windows, the national teams have not been able to count on the top players to join them, which is unfortunate for the sport. It is a missed opportunity for the Federations and FIBA to promote the sport and reach a new audience.

Of course, we remain open and will have no problem to sit down with FIBA to discuss their proposals. We respect the current status quo and the current club competition schedule. We also want to maximize the windows opportunity that exists outside the club schedule. However, the national teams games are scheduled, players must have a month of full rest.”