Igor Rakocevic criticizes EuroLeague outlook on Zvezda and Partizan / News - Basketnews.com

Former Serbian player Igor Rakocevic criticized the non-permanent status of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade and Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade in the EuroLeague.

Credit: Srdjan Stevanovic/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Credit Srdjan Stevanovic/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

A retired EuroLeague star, Serbian player Igor Rakocevic, took to his social media to criticize what he perceived to be the EuroLeague's lack of desire to make Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade and Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade permanent teams in the competition.

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade / Schedule

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade100-91 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade62-76 Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade Baskonia Vitoria-GasteizThu18:00

In a post shared on his personal X account, Rakocevic had the following to say.

"If Serbia does not have 2 representatives in the EuroLeague next year, then criteria such as tradition, quality of basketball, development of young Euroleague players, number of spectators, the fieriest atmosphere at the matches, promotion of the EuroLeague, giving many outstanding players to Europe, are not respected," Rakocevic said, lambasting the EuroLeague.

"That Zvezda and Partizan, after everything they have given to Europe, with this much interest and the largest audience, may not be possibly playing in the EuroLeague next year is unfair, to say the least," the former player stated, talking about a possibility rather than a fact.

He then turned to criticize what he perceived to be the EuroLeague's stronger interest in teams that spend more money instead of teams like Crvena Zvezda and Partizan.

"If money is the most important thing if the club is from a richer country and has a bigger budget, then it is no longer a sport in the original sense, and that is where basketball and the audience lose the most," Rakocevic elaborated.

"If some new clubs are going to enter the EuroLeague, it would be better to expand instead of kicking out one of the 2 most popular teams," he offered a suggestion, supporting EuroLeague expansion but rejecting the possibility of kicking out either Zvezda or Partizan.

In the 21 rounds that have been played so far in the 2023-24 season, Partizan has the highest average attendance, with 19,849 people showing up to each game. Crvena Zvezda follows very closely in the second place, with 19,027 people tuning in.

The dominance of the two Serbian clubs in this regard is understood by the deficit between them and the third-placed highest-attendance team, Zalgiris Kaunas. An average of 14,911 people tune in for the Lithuanian team's games, which indicates an almost 5,000-person gap between Zalgiris and the Serbian teams.

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