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NEW Mediterranean League?
#1
Via TalkBasket

Quote:Mediterranean Basketball League: a vision to revive basketball

Greek basketball federation, and former FIBA Europe, president George Vasilakopoulos is behind the idea of creating a united Mediterranean League which will include teams from Greece, Italy, Serbia, Turkey, Israel, Cyprus and Bulgaria.

The idea goes way back and many basketball people all over Europe supported the creation of such a league but it never went through. After the failed Balcan regional league with smaller club some countries are ready to take the next step, possibly even create the league from next season.

The reasons behind this idea is the lack of competition in domestic league. In Greece no team can even question Olympiacos, let alone Panathinaikos, authority. In Turkey the Fenerbahce-Efes Pilsen couple are playing in the finals every year. In Italy Montepaschi Siena has created a dynasty of its own. In Serbia and the entire former Yugoslavia PArtizan dominates while Maccabi Tel Aviv rarely loses a championship in Israel while in Cyprus its either AE Limassol, APOEL Nicosia or Keravnos Strovolos year after year.

Just imagine a league with a regular season and play-offs consisting of:

Panathinaikos
Olympiacos
Montepaschi Siena
Maccabi Tel Aviv
Fenerbahce
Efes Pilsen
Galatasaray
Besiktas
Turk Telekom
Partizan
Hemofarm
Maroussi
Aris
AE Limassol
APOEL Nicosia
Hapoel Jerusalem etc...

The plan is for each country to be represented by its finest clubs who will not be playing in the regular seasons of their domestic league (if it possible to be applied for every country) and instead play the regular season games in the MEditerranean Leagur while join their domestic league once the play-offs begin.

The new League-product could attract large TV networks from many countries and even international sports networks while the difficult (or more difficult than the domestic ones) games will generate fan interest which will boost season and normal tickets sales.

According to Greek Basketball Federation Sources there will be a minimum of four Greek clubs in the new League while Greek A1 will reduce its number of teams to create a more versatile and professional league.

Respect and thanks for everything:

Alvertis, Bodiroga, Jasikevicius, Radja, Wilkins, Vrankovic, Fotsis, Rebraca, Kattash, Gentile, Koch, Middleton, Kutluay, Rogers, Papadopoulos, Becirovic, Tomasevic, Siskauskas, Pekovic, Lakovic, Vujanic, Chatzivrettas, Maljkovic, Spanoulis and many more to follow in the near future.
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#2
if it actually happens, it would be amazing, every week a few more great games instead of the mostly boring domestic league games, huge competition of some of the best teams in Europe and it will help the teams keep the players in the high level like in Euroleague games and not drop every week to the mostly low level and easy games in domestic leagues.

I think it's a great idea now let's just hope it will be more than just an idea.
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#3
(Jul 28, 2010, 1:52 pm)MaccabiTA Wrote: if it actually happens, it would be amazing, every week a few more great games instead of the mostly boring domestic league games, huge competition of some of the best teams in Europe and it will help the teams keep the players in the high level like in Euroleague games and not drop every week to the mostly low level and easy games in domestic leagues.

I think it's a great idea now let's just hope it will be more than just an idea.

Considering the rivalries and derbies and the more intense crowds, IMHO it would be even better than the Euroleague is.
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#4
its gonna be interesting Turkish teams playin southern cyprus ( i passed israel Smile ) This will improve friendship i hope.... so Where's spain?
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#5
(Jul 28, 2010, 11:08 pm)Efes4ever Wrote: its gonna be interesting Turkish teams playin southern cyprus ( i passed israel Smile ) This will improve friendship i hope.... so Where's spain?

Obviously ACB clubs would not play because they feel they already have a good league.
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#6
(Jul 28, 2010, 11:08 pm)Efes4ever Wrote: its gonna be interesting Turkish teams playin southern cyprus ( i passed israel Smile ) This will improve friendship i hope.... so Where's spain?

Turkish clubs are already played vs Cypriot clubs... nothing to see there...
Respect and thanks for everything:

Alvertis, Bodiroga, Jasikevicius, Radja, Wilkins, Vrankovic, Fotsis, Rebraca, Kattash, Gentile, Koch, Middleton, Kutluay, Rogers, Papadopoulos, Becirovic, Tomasevic, Siskauskas, Pekovic, Lakovic, Vujanic, Chatzivrettas, Maljkovic, Spanoulis and many more to follow in the near future.
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#7
(Jul 29, 2010, 3:42 pm)forum troll Wrote: Obviously ACB clubs would not play because they feel they already have a good league.

ACB sets the example for all other European leagues to follow. If this is the Mediterranean, what's Serbia and Bulgaria doing in there? Huh

It would be very good if say the top four Spanish teams played as well.

Hopefully a move like this would be good for the sport in general, and not just generating greater revenues Dry
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#8
I do not understand this, it's not like travel costs are so huge around Europe. I'd prefer just to see these teams square off in the broader European competitions like the Euroleague and Eurocup. If the idea is to have these teams play each other more frequently why not just expand the number of games in the European leagues?

Why do we need to be exclusive to the "Mediterranean region"? I'm fine with regional leagues as long as there is some historical/political logic to it like the Baltic and Adriatic leagues. Otherwise, let's stick with the national competitions and crack on with the European leagues.
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#9
skangles, this is a solution for teams that are several levels above their leagues and are bored with their domestic competition. In this new league they could have challenging opponents every week instead of facing the same old weak local teams they're facing right now.

If Maccabi played in the Mediterranean league and joined the Israeli league just for the Final Four, that wouldn't go down too well in Israel...I think if the teams move to the Mediterranean league, they should leave their domestic leagues completely, not just for the regular season. That would weaken a lot of leagues around Europe considerably though, so I'm not sure this league is a good idea.
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#10
What would happen to the Adriatic league if that happens?

I think that league like this is too much. Way to many strong games when combined with EL and NT. Just way to many...
(Mar 4, 2012, 7:59 pm)KAPALI Wrote: "...I can show U what I am everytime everywhere your web artist..."
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#11
Too many?

Think about the endless possibilities of frequent injuries in the players :p
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#12
Talks have been going on...

So far the certain countries to have teams in it are:

Greece (4 teams)
Turkey
Serbia
Israel
Cyprus
Bulgaria

Italy is still unsure but is interested while Qatar wants to have a team which will be based in Cyprus.
Respect and thanks for everything:

Alvertis, Bodiroga, Jasikevicius, Radja, Wilkins, Vrankovic, Fotsis, Rebraca, Kattash, Gentile, Koch, Middleton, Kutluay, Rogers, Papadopoulos, Becirovic, Tomasevic, Siskauskas, Pekovic, Lakovic, Vujanic, Chatzivrettas, Maljkovic, Spanoulis and many more to follow in the near future.
[Image: vspa.jpg]

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#13
i read about that too. is there any reliable source behind that or just kavalieratos??
Schwach wie flasche leer
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#14
It would be only great this league. Cool But how to fit with Adriatic League(i'm thinking if Partizan will play)? Huh
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#15
I've read the following article

Mediterranean League - fact or fiction?

" It could be closer than we think..

The rumors started last season but nowadays they keep springing up from all directions in Greece but as of yet there is nothing concrete to report. The idea is very old but the execution needed some infrastructure and most of all, some money.

Let's face it, the Greek league has seen better days. It could be classed as an example to avoid when it comes to organisation and meritocracy.

It becomes hard to find a team that doesn't owe money to players, or in taxes to the state. Some teams shouldn't even be playing in the A1 league because they can't collect all the necessary certificates that guarantee the club's financial wellbeing and stability. The president of the league becomes more of a decoration and his sole purpose at the moment is (in theory) to try and find a good television broadcast rights contract for the teams of the league. So currently we've got teams that cannot even afford hot water to have a shower after practice or teams that have changed more players and coaches than they currently have on their roster. Fortunately some other teams seem to be adapting to the

The league solely exists at the moment for the finals between Olympiakos and Panathinaikos and the same goes for the Greek Cup where (conveniently) the 2 Greek powerhouses never seem to meet before the final. This situation has the support of a body of sports journalists, who make their living out of the rivalry between the reds and the greens and also by the players themselves who can't stand up to their rich bosses. Hence one might be thinking what's the purpose of the Greek league? Let's create a new league where Olympiakos and Panathinaikos can play against more powerful opponents and one aging executive can come out as the Messiah who gave new impetus to a decomposing league.

So this is the plan.. in theory always. 3 teams from Greece, 3 from Turkey, 2 teams from Israel, the champion of Serbia, the champion of Cyprus, possibly Lukoil Akademik and last but not least one team from.. Qatar. This is not final and the specs of the league might change until the last moment. One might be thinking.. Qatar..? what the..? the rumors are that the team from Qatar will actually belong to the sponsors of the league. Hence they will provide the funds to organise the league and they will find other sponsors as well to make sure there are adequate funds to run a professional league smoothly.

The premise here is that the teams that will participate in this league will not be playing in the regular season in their corresponding countries but they would return in their local league only for the play-offs. This is the model of the Adriatic League and the purpose of it is that these teams will not be participating in a league that doesn't offer any substantial challenge. That might seem like making the league more challenging for the remaining teams but from a moral point of view it's exposing the current degradation of the league.

A Mediterranean league without teams from Italy or Spain? That sounds strange to me too but they just might be content playing for the Eurocup. For example this season we've had Gran Canaria, Estudiantes, Cajasol, Cantu, Benetton Treviso, Caserta. Why would they want to leave a league as organised and glamorous like the ACB or the LegaA1?

On the other hand, Olympiakos and Panathinaikos are gagging to leave the A1. The same goes for Fenerbahce and Efes Pilsen, Maccabi Tel Aviv etc. The idea is that the teams picked from each country will be chosen according to their final position at the end of the play-offs. Also that the funding from the Mediterranean League itself will be significantly larger than that from Uleb leagues. This gives certain teams a motive in Greece to gain the 3rd place as it would secure their finances. The same goes for Turkey.

Chances are that the scheme will be announced some time before the end of this season and it will outline how the teams will be chosen and also the details of the league's layout. So this will be the "pilot-season" of a league that will aim to become one of the most popular leagues in Europe and rival the Euroleague, or fail miserably.."

What do you guys think about this?
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#16
We already have a topic on this.

http://www.talkbasket.net/forums/thread-809.html
Respect and thanks for everything:

Alvertis, Bodiroga, Jasikevicius, Radja, Wilkins, Vrankovic, Fotsis, Rebraca, Kattash, Gentile, Koch, Middleton, Kutluay, Rogers, Papadopoulos, Becirovic, Tomasevic, Siskauskas, Pekovic, Lakovic, Vujanic, Chatzivrettas, Maljkovic, Spanoulis and many more to follow in the near future.
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#17
It could be very strong League.But of course without Serbian teams because they play in Adriatic.
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#18
(Jan 10, 2011, 4:18 pm)Black Urum Wrote: We already have a topic on this.

http://www.talkbasket.net/forums/thread-809.html

Sorry Black Urum, I didn't know that there already was a topic about this. My mistake
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#19
About a week ago they talked about it in Ynet.co.il saying that Maccabi and Hapoel might get invited to the league (from greek sources as they say)

http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4008548,00.html

I really hope this idea will come true evetually..I wonder how serious this thing is, I guess only time will tell
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#20
I am pretty satisfied with the ABA league and wouldn't like to see Partizan in Mediterranean league except if that would mean more money for the club, cause money is only thing left for Partizan before he can finally take the serious road towards the EL top!
(Mar 4, 2012, 7:59 pm)KAPALI Wrote: "...I can show U what I am everytime everywhere your web artist..."
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