Home EuroLeague Flamengo and Maccabi to play 2014 Intercontinental Cup in September

Flamengo and Maccabi to play 2014 Intercontinental Cup in September

FIBA, FIBA Americas and Euroleague Basketball are pleased to announce that the 2014 FIBA Euroleague Intercontinental Cup will feature Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv, the new Turkish Airlines Euroleague winner, going against the 2014 FIBA Liga de las Americas champion Flamengo of Brazil in late September in Rio de Janeiro.

Maccabi will seek its second Intercontinental Cup crown when it faces Flamengo in the two-game series. The opening game is scheduled for Friday, September 26 with Game 2 set to take place two days later. Both games will be played at the Gimnasio Maracanãzinho Arena in Rio de Janeiro. The once-popular Intercontinental Cup, which dates back to 1966, was dormant for nearly two decades before its revival last season, when then Euroleague champion Olympiacos Piraeus defeated Pinheiros Sky for the Cup.

This season, Flamengo defeated Pinheiros in the 2014 FIBA Liga de las Americas final on March 22, 2014. Perhaps Flamengo’s best-known player is forward Marcelinho Machado, who was the 2014 Liga de las Americas MVP and played in the Euroleague during the 2006-07 season with Zalgiris Kaunas of Lithuania. Maccabi previously won the 1980 Intercontinental Cup in Sarajevo.

“The revival of the Intercontinental Cup shows how cooperation between sporting bodies and great clubs can mean something special for fans of our sport on different continents,” Jordi Bertomeu, the President and CEO Euroleague Basketball, said. “We are sure that our new Turkish Airlines Euroleague champion, Maccabi, will add great momentum to this reborn initiative with its excellent team, consistent professionalism and worldwide following of fans.”

Mr. Alberto García, Secretary General of FIBA Americas, thanked the FIBA Secretary General, Mr. Patrick Baumann, for all his support in making this event happen.

“The dream continues. For FIBA Americas it is a matter of great pride to be a part of this Intercontinental Cup for a second year in a row, as it represents a consolidation of this event on the world stage of club competition,” Mr. García said. “In recent months we have seen two incredible finals, with the Liga de las Americas and the Euroleague, and are confident that we will have an elite matchup when our representative Flamengo of Brazil takes on Maccabi of Israel in Rio de Janeiro. With the Maracanãzinho as our stage, full of the biggest and most important fan base in Brazil, along with the strong support of the Maccabi fans around the world, we have no doubt it will be a historic weekend for global basketball.”

Source

Exit mobile version