Euroleague Basketball CEO Jordi Bertomeu was hosted by Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv before Thursday night’s game against Bennet Cantù at Nokia Arena. “We’ve decided to change the format so that there will be more games in which the best teams can compete against one another.”
By Amy Samin
Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv played host Thursday night to Euroleague Basketball CEO Jordi Bertomeu, who came to Israel to watch the do-or-die game between the home team and visitors Bennet Cantù of Italy.
The hot topic at the pre-game press conference was the possibility of Nokia Arena hosting another Euroleague Final Four in the future. “It’s not an issue of money,” said Bertomeu, “but more about having a gym that can seat at least 15,000 spectators. There are always many fans who want to come, including Maccabi fans who always complain to the Euroleague that there isn’t enough space in the gym.”
Bertomeu also discussed the matter of changing the scheduling of Euroleague games from Thursdays to Fridays. “The main reason for the change to Fridays is that it is difficult to compete with UEFA’s Champions League games on Wednesdays, and if we have games on Fridays it will be more comfortable. We are trying to convince the teams to play on Fridays instead of Thursdays, because the problem is not just in Israel, but in the rest of Europe as well. I hope we will succeed in solving this. In the end we are changing the structure and we are going to make every effort to see that happen. It also looks like we will be moving the Eurocup games from Tuesdays to Wednesdays.”
Shimon Mizrahi, chairman of Maccabi Tel Aviv responded to Bertomeu’s remarks, saying, “First of all, we cannot host games here in Nokia Arena on Fridays, and the television would not broadcast games that will be played on Fridays, so we should do our best, with the cooperation of the Euroleague, to continue playing on Thursdays as we have done for the last 43 years.”
About his reasons for coming to Nokia Arena, Bertomeu said, “There is no special reason for my coming, except that it gives me another opportunity to enjoy the amazing atmosphere that Maccabi Tel Aviv always provides. It’s an honor for me to be here at Nokia Arena.” The CEO also addressed the following changes: “We’ve decided to change the format so that there will be more games in which the best teams can compete against one another. I think we have a great chance to see how the teams will behave. This concept is more interesting and will provide the spectators with better basketball.”
