FIBA pulled the plug on its involvement, claiming it had been unable to reach an agreement with ULEB.
FIBA were to handle matters on the court, while ULEB dealt with the commercial promotion of the league.
Said a ULEB spokesman: “ULEB regrets the decision by FIBA-Europe and notes that this marks its third rejection of the agreement with ULEB, despite that agreement having been approved and signed on April 4 by FIBA. This demonstrates that the will of the current leadership of FIBA-Europe is to block any agreement that calls for FIBA and the ULEB to work together for the future of basketball.
”The ULEB asserts that the decision taken by the Board of FIBA-Europe has been taken without the national federations having received complete information about the relations between FIBA and ULEB in recent months, during which time ULEB had agreed to cooperate with FIBA on issues such as licenses, doping controls and referees, without taking into account the rejection by the permanent conference of FIBA of the agreement signed on April 4.
“As a result of the decision that FIBA has taken, the ULEB announces that in the coming months the clubs will pursue a development project for the future of the Eurleague that has as its sole objective the creation of a great European professional league in which we hope that all countries can be involved. With that in mind, the ULEB will undertake once again to study the organization of a second competition to make its debut for the 2002-03 season.”
Earlier this week, FIBA told sportbusiness.com
