The criteria for the wild cards set FIBA might be not the only factor to decide which countries are given the opportunity to play in World Championship next year. Vladas Garastas, LKF president, told to lrytas.lt that FIBA unofficially revealed that they are willing to give wild cards to those countries that are prepared to pay for them.
Going even further Garastas said that Russians declared that they will send a money bag to FIBA in case they don't qualify directly for the World Championship Turkey 2010 and that's what happened in Eurobasket 2009.
These are the official criteria for the wild cards available for everyone to see on FIBA's website :
The criteria for the wild cards
* In order to be invited, a team must have participated in its 2009 FIBA Zone Qualifying Championship.
* There can be a maximum number of three teams from a given FIBA Zone.
In addition to the two above-mentioned requirements, FIBA shall take into consideration the following aspects:
Sporting Aspects
* Popularity of basketball in the country
* Quality and sporting results of the country's national team
* Quality of work by the National Federation
Economic Aspects
* Involvement of local television station(s) and/or competition(s) in domestic and international basketball
* Importance of the country to FIBA's marketing and television partners
* Importance of the country to the Organizers of the FIBA World Championship
