Jordi Bertomeu talks about Campazzo, takes a jab at current management / News - Basketnews.com

Jordi Bertomeu hasn't seen anything new from the current EuroLeague management that he hadn't proposed before. He thinks that the EuroCup-BCL merger would be a mistake, and that FIBA is purposefully sabotaging the European basketball calendar.

Credit: Rodolfo Molina/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Credit Rodolfo Molina/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Jordi Bertomeu was the head of the EuroLeague for 22 years. He founded the competition and saw it grow into the product that it is today. Before the start of the 2022-23 season, the Spanish executive was replaced in his position by Dejan Bodiroga.

Besides Bodiroga, former Bertomeu's right-hand man Marshall Glickman was appointed as the CEO of the competition.

"I know them both. One was an outstanding player and the other [was] my consultant for several years. I don't know what their plan is, but from what I can read, there is nothing new. There is talk of changes in the competition - it was also in the plans I had presented to the clubs," Bertomeu said in an interview with Mozzart Sport.

"I talked about Paris and London a few years ago, moreover, I gave them wild cards for the EuroCup before I left. So there's nothing new. I hear they want to digitize the business, which is also not new. I don't know what the plan is, I didn't talk to them, they didn't contact me, and I don't see anything in the media that wasn't in my plans before leaving," the former EuroLeague's president revealed.

The current hottest topic in the EuroLeague is the player registration ban Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade received for failing to pay due money and disclose the required documents.

Marshall Glickman, the current CEO of the EuroLeague, has the ability to overrule the Finance Panel's decision but hasn't used it yet. Bertomeu gave his thoughts about the situation.

"As the executive director of the league, he has the ability [to do so] but everyone has his own management style. I tried to do my best for 22 years, to take into account the sensitivities and feelings of everyone, and I'm sure that Marshall is also trying to do the best thing," Bertomeu said. "I don't know why he made the decision he made because I don't regularly follow the events in the EuroLeague. I haven't seen how he manages the league, but it's still early."

With several EuroCup teams transferring and the EuroLeague being arguably the most competitive ever, the difference in levels between the EuroCup and the Basketball Champions League has diminished this season with some of the players even arguing that the BCL has surpassed the EuroLeague's second-highest competition.

Having that in mind, there were some talks about the two lower-level leagues possibly joining forces to form a strong alternative to the EuroLeague. Bertomeu thinks it wouldn't be a good idea.

"These stories were spread before, but in my opinion, it would be a mistake. However, it is no longer my responsibility and other people will decide," he said. "I'm not close to it at the moment, at least not with the EuroLeague. It's time for me to think about other projects, other aspects of life."

With the 2023 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers coming in around a month, Bertomeu once again took a jab at FIBA's camp for the window system. The former EuroLeague operative claims that the worldwide basketball organization doesn't want to negotiate.

"When we talked, and that was when Patrick Baumann was there, we presented at least three alternatives to FIBA before the start of the windows and after them," Bertomeu said. "They said that the windows are not negotiable and that this is of fundamental importance for them."

Bertomeu later revealed that EuroLeague had presented an offer to FIBA but it was rejected.

"These are documents of 50 pages each. Adjustments to the calendar were based on three concepts. [First,] to give the players six to eight weeks for complete rest. Second, a month or a month and a half should be set aside for representative competitions without overlapping with any other competitions. And the rest of the year, which is about nine months, should be left for club competitions - national and European leagues. That was the concept," Bertomeu explained.

"We presented the calendar until 2026. Three different alternatives were on these concepts but windows were not something that FIBA ​​wanted to talk about because according to them, national team matches during the season are of key importance for global basketball," the Spanish executive shared. "I have a different opinion, although I respect them. But we saw that Slovenia, as the European champions, were not at the World Cup because they did not qualify. This is a consequence of that policy. Do you want to watch national team games without the best players and think it helps basketball? I'm not sure."

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