Ioannis Sfairopoulos reveals idea of five-month EuroLeague season / News - Basketnews.com

Ioannis Sfairopoulos says there are thoughts of only running the EuroLeague for five months and then having those teams play in the national championships.

Credit: BasketNews.lt/D.Lukšta Credit BasketNews.lt/D.Lukšta

Former Olympiacos Piraeus (2014-18) and Maccabi Tel Aviv (2018-2022) head coach and vice president of the EuroLeague Head Coaches Board, Ioannis Sfairopoulos, addressed the hot topic about continental schedule and what needs to be done in order to bring stability back to European basketball.

"FIBA and EuroLeague must sit at the same table willing to make mutual concessions for the good of the sport, which is harmed by this rivalry," the Greek specialist told SDNA.gr.

"The results are visible: players tired and fed up, basketball world people confused not knowing what they are seeing, meanwhile national teams are overshadowed by the EuroLeague matches. The product breaks down, and all that happens is a detriment to basketball. There must be a single calendar that includes international games, national championships, and national teams. There is also a need for time to rest for all participants."

Sfairopoulos went further and commented on the EuroLeague organization. He even hinted an idea of how the EuroLeague season could be run.

"The league is very competitive but with much less quality compared to previous years. I think that when a player plays 80 games every year and in the summer he also goes to the national team and has no time to rest, it means injuries, poor shape, and less-quality basketball," the 55-year-old coach pointed out.

"A formula must be found so that so many matches are not held in a short period of time because the EuroLeague teams also play in the domestic championships. There are thoughts of only running the EuroLeague for five months and then having those teams play in the national championships. This may be a solution, but the authorities must find a way," Sfairopoulos added in an interview with SDNA.gr.

Now, the EuroLeague competition is held for seven and a half months. The domestic league games are in between the EuroLeague duels.

Sfairopoulos touched on the European basketball issue for a second time in a short period of time. He went on Twitter a couple of days ago when EuroLeague Head Coaches Board's president, Dimitris Itoudis,had taken a stand against the complicated international schedule amidst the FIBA-EuroLeague conflict.

"The situation around European basketball in recent years needs to change now. EuroLeague games coincide with national teams' ones, players and coaches compete in one of the two or in both competitions, with an enormous toll on their physical and mental integrity," Sfairopoulos wrote at the time.

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