Paulius Motiejunas talks Dubai in the EuroLeague / News - Basketnews.com

EuroLeague Basketball CEO Paulius Motiejunas talked about the Dubai project in the EuroLeague and the vision behind it.

Credit: Erikas Ovčarenko/BNS Credit Erikas Ovčarenko/BNS

A possible inclusion of a team from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, has recently dominated the EuroLeague agenda.

While the potentiality has inspired much debate between clubs, league managements, fans, and the sports media, an important step towards the realization of this scenario took place with Dubai joining the ABA League.

In an interview with SKWEEK, EuroLeague Basketball CEO Paulius Motiejunas talked about the latest state of the Dubai project and assessed the move to the ABA League.

"Obviously, Dubai and the Middle East are regions where a lot of events and leagues are coming. So, it's normal that we, as the EuroLeague, are interested as well," Motiejunas said.

"We are happy that the approach was from their side. I was one of the 13 [general managers of] clubs to go there for the first meeting in October almost two, one-and-a-half years ago," he recalled from the time when he was the GM of Zalgiris Kaunas.

"It's a great city. The Coca-Cola Arena is a great. The climate is wonderful. To spread the joy of basketball and the EuroLeague is something that we are always looking for," Motiejunas explained about his management's vision.

While Motiejunas believes the project has a lot of potential, he also believes that its realization is a long and difficult process, considering the amount of negotiations needed to implement it.

"Obviously, there are doubts, but we don't see doubts on the faces of the people behind the project. If they believe in the project and they think they can drive it, we think it's a big part of success," Motiejunas stated. It's a challenge for everybody, but it's a new market. So that's why the negotiations are so difficult and take time."

"Every project has positives and negatives. We understand the negative side, but we also look at the positive side. If eventually we see there is more of the positive side than the negative side, the clubs will make a decision, and we will see the reaction," he noted about the Dubai project.

Finally, the Lithuanian executive elaborated on Dubai's accession into the ABA League and the general EuroLeague mindset behind the agreement between the Arab team and the ex-Yugoslav countries' league.

"All our clubs play in domestic competitions and the EuroLeague, so there has to be equal rights for everybody," Motiejunas explained. "We were [saying] that they should have their domestic competition as well. Now, the ABA League will replace their domestic competition."

He also hinted at the possibility of including Dubai in the EuroCup, which is a jumping-off point for the EuroLeague, in order to prepare the new team for a possible feature in the continent's best basketball league.

"EuroLeague is the top-level competition. So, I would say the example would be jumping [off] a train that is going 120 kilometers per hour," Motiejunas remarked. "With a completely new structure and with completely new players, we know it's a lot of risk."

We want to minimize the risk because we really love the brand and the images that the EuroLeague has, and you have to learn to adjust," he said about a possible Dubai membership in the EuroLeague.

"That's why the offer was, 'Let's try something small.' That's why we are talking about the EuroCup, and that's why we're talking about a chance for them to convince everybody that they are ready for the EuroLeague," he concluded.

Dubai joining the EuroLeague has been a tangible possibility for a few years now. The accession of the Arab team to the ABA League has seemingly sped up the process, with important shareholders of European basketball, such as FC Barcelona, also coming out in favor of such an idea.

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