A few days prior to the start of the 20th season of the modern EuroLeague, Jordi Bertomeu talked about the progress of the competition.
Here is what the president and CEO of the league told EuroLeague.net:
On the 20th season of the modern EuroLeague: “After 20 years, there is no question that the EuroLeague is a solid project and has positioned itself within the top sports properties in world.
According to SportsBusiness, we are the second fastest-growing sports property on the market, which also proves the potential this league still has.”
On the new format, with 18 teams, and the new licensing criteria for 2020-21 onwards: “These two changes, while they coincided in time, respond to different objectives. On the one hand, the expansion of two new licenses responds to the need to have a strong and stable presence in two key European markets, France and Germany.
ASVEL Villeurbanne and Bayern Munich have proven to be two projects that match the EuroLeague philosophy on and off the court, and these two-year licenses should serve as a test for both the league and the clubs before hopefully moving to a permanent license.
ASVEL has an ambitious ownership led by Tony Parker and Olympique Lyonnais, while Bayern Munich, in its relatively short existence, has arguably established itself amongst the best clubs in Europe.
The allocation of licenses will go through some modifications, as well, highlighted by the widened window for EuroCup teams to qualify. Instead of the champion only, both EuroCup finalists will now qualify for the EuroLeague the next season.
Additionally, those EuroCup teams that qualify will be given a chance to stay in the EuroLeague beyond one season, according to their performance, which also corrects a weakness we had over the last years.
Finally, the substitution of the spots allocated to domestic leagues by annual wild cards will help us ensure that any candidates to join the league meet the necessary standards to do so.”
You can read the full interview of Jordi Bertomeu here
