EuroLeague and Dubai: good and bad sides of a potential relationship / News - Basketnews.com

The next EuroLeague Final Four could take place in Dubai. It would be the first time when the Final Four is hosted outside of Europe. While the financial benefits of this possibility are obvious, it's important also to analyze the potential negative aspects of any long-term relationship with the United Arab Emirates.

Credit: EuroLeague Credit EuroLeague

Change is always good, right? Well, that's a debatable statement. When EuroLeague decided to change the original Final Four location last season, moving it from Berlin to Belgrade, many people thought that the move actually made sense.

In Berlin, there were still restrictions due to Covid, while in Belgrade, the situation was more relaxed, and there was the opportunity to play in a big arena like the Stark Arena (with a capacity of more than 18,000 people).

The presence of Olympiacos among the Final Four teams made the situation easier in terms of the audience, with more than 10.000 Greek fans reaching the Serbian capital.

Although the arena wasn't completely filled, the final result was solid. The venue for this season Final Four could become an extremely flammable topic sooner rather than later.

As it was reported by our Donatas Urbonas, Dubai has become one of the major candidates to host the next EuroLeague Final Fouralongside Kaunas, which was the first venue to be in the mix to host the Final Four.

With the rumors about Dubai becoming increasingly present in every day's discussion about European basketball, it looks like a good time to try to analyze some of the pros and cons of this possibility that could represent a clear break in the history of the biggest European competition.

Why Dubai could be a good solution

EuroLeague has always been a business-oriented league. Sure, inside the league, there are teams with a lot of history and tradition, but the main core of the EuroLeague as an organization is business.

It has always been like that and always will be. So starting to create a connection with Dubai and the Middle East market in general looks like a smart idea for EuroLeague. Dubai can offer extremely attractive financial terms, which EuroLeague clearly needs since the competition struggled to be financially sustainable for the teams in the past few years.

The United Arab Emirates' capital can also offer an impressive choice of accommodation and a spectacular arena.

The Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai is one the best equipped and most technological arenas in the world. It can accommodate 17.000 people inside and could easily host NBA games. In the recent past, it hosted big boxing events and concerts.

Beginning the relationship with Dubai investors with the Final Four of this season could facilitate a long-term partnership with the country.

If the circulating rumors are correct, the Dubai-based investors are willing to spend big money inside the competition, with Emirates Airline, which could replace Turkish Airlines as the main sponsor of the competition, putting between 40-50 million euros per season.

Expanding the EuroLeague market to the Middle East might bring that type of cash injection that the competition needs to be more sustainable and a new pool of investors that could make it more attractive for other partners too.

We already saw in the football environment how many businessmen from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Qatar decided to invest heavily in that department and how much they were able to improve the teams they invested in (PSG and Manchester City, just to mention the most famous ones).

But emirs and sheiks were also smart enough to invest in up-and-coming sports like padel, which saw a major increase in revenues and popularity worldwide in the past few years.

Basketball has yet to see that type of commitment from investors in the Middle East. Still, with the NBA already arranging pre-season games in Abu Dhabi, it's only a matter of time before we'll witness a major investment in the basketball department too.

EuroLeague could be a trailblazer in this regard. Talks with the Dubai investors have been ongoing since February, as former EuroLeague CEO Jordi Bertomeu revealed recently, and have intensified after the last EuroLeague Final Four in Belgrade.

The possibility of having a team based in Dubai that could be a part of the EuroLeague with a wildcard is also on the table. It could be the beginning of something completely new that might turn European basketball upside down.

In Europe, basketball has often been seen as a losing game from a financial perspective. Even the biggest teams in the continent, like the Spanish powerhouses Barcelona and Real Madrid, constantly lose money.

At the same time, other clubs are in a relevant position only because of the generosity of rich owners who keep financing the clubs without ever seeing a real return, only for true passion or glory.

The potential entrance of Dubai inside the EuroLeague market could be a game changer, but it doesn't mean that there are no concerns about this project.

And what could go wrong?

We mentioned the pros of having the Final Four in Dubai and, in general, building a long-term relationship with investors in the Middle East. However, some concerns also need to be highlighted.

Having a Final Four in Dubai is extremely exciting on paper, but it might also create multiple issues in reality. First of all, having a Final Four outside of Europe means that the road trip will be much longer for all the parties involved, including fans and media.

EuroLeague has struggled to fill European arenas, even in very popular basketball countries. Trying to fill the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai could be even more problematic.

Many fans could decide that the trip is too expensive or too long (from Spain, Italy, Germany, and France, it's at least a 6-hours flight).

Sure, Dubai is now well connected since it became a major touristic destination, and there are a lot of direct flights from the major European capitals. Still, it's a pretty long trip, especially from Central Europe.

The risk of having a 17.000 people arena only half filled or worse is a real one. Also, the basketball fan base in Dubai is virtually non-existent. The last time EuroLeague tried to have the Final Four in a 'non-basketball' city like London was back in 2013, and the results weren't exactly satisfying.

The stands were half-empty most of the time. Building an audience in a certain environment requires time, and trying to 'impose' basketball in a country where there has never been any kind of tradition in that regard could result in a potential failure.

Kaunas, the other main city in the mix to host the Final Four this season, might not have received an additional 1 million euros from the Lithuanian government, so it's less attractive from a financial standpoint. Still, in terms of basketball culture and atmosphere, it cannot even be compared to Dubai.

EuroLeague executives could use the upcoming FIFA World Cup, hosted in Qatar, as a test for what might happen in Dubai. There's been a lot of criticism around the idea of hosting the football World Cup in a country like Qatar, and not only for sporting reasons, of course.

The usual schedule of the season was completely changed since the upcoming World Cup will be played in the winter, while usually, the tournament takes place in the summer.

There were also concerns related to the conditions of the workers in the country. Several people died during the construction of the stadiums, and the government of Qatar has refused to provide specific numbers regarding the deaths at the construction sites.

Furthermore, many federations shared their concerns over the security of LGBTQ+ visitors to Qatar during the World Cup. Residents have long faced discrimination from the state. Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar, with possible punishments of up to seven years in jail. The same principle is applied in the United Arab Emirates.

EuroLeague is already facing a serious challenge related to the Russian teams. All of them are currently suspended from the competition due to the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian government.

Adding a long-term relationship with a country with a poor human and civil rights reputation wouldn't represent a great PR move.

The idea of having a Dubai team permanently in the EuroLeague would create quite a few problems. Firstly, logistically, with rather long flights for many teams in the mold of those that used to be made to Russia, and secondly, politically.

The risk of further alienating a section of the public, already not particularly fond of EuroLeague's pure business policies, is real and is something the EuroLeague board cannot afford to ignore.

Expanding from a commercial point of view is extremely important for the competition, but this need cannot completely ignore respect for basic rights and the spirit of the sport.

EuroLeague needs some serious thinking before giving the green light to a Final Four in Dubai or to any long-term commitment with the investors from that area.

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