Exclusive: Euroleague Still Committed to UK Market Despite 2014 Final Four Snub

By Ismail Uddin

Euroleague has reaffirmed its commitment to the UK market despite awarding Milan the 2014 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four competition. 

The 2014 event will be staged at the Mediolanum Forum in Milan, Italy from May 15 to 18 next year. London hosted the 2013 event which was considered a success and there was an option to return to London for the 2014 event but Euroleague have decided against that. But Alex Ferrer, Kristjansson, Brand and Communication Director at Euroleague reiterated their commitment of growing the game in the UK

“We went there to help grow the market and the ultimate long term objective was to have a team in the UK and that hasn’t changed. The commitment from Euroleague is still that and that’s our goal to have a team in the UK competing at the highest level in the Euro Cup and Euroleague,” he told iSportconnect exclusively.

“Not Exercising the option of going back to London next year responds to the fact that we felt the market wasn’t mature enough to have two (Final Fours) in a row so we decided to postpone this decision and event. We certainly want to come back to London for the Final Four but we simply felt that this was not the moment to return.”

The Euroleague Director also said it may be a while before they return to London.

He said: “We probably won’t return in the next few years because we still need to see the development of Baketball in the market but we have seen some positive signs working with the local organisations in the UK. We will still be looking to bring more sports events to city in the next few years. In terms of Final Four it all depends on how the market evolves in the next few years, so if we see positive growth then we would be ready to think about it.”

Kristjansson also suggested that returning to Milan was the right decision as they felt it was a strong market for Euroleague.

“Milan in Italy is one of the traditional markets of Euroleague. It was a wish from us to come back to Italy at some point as it has been many years since we’ve had a Final Four there. The last one for Euroleague was in Bologna but we wanted to return to one of the biggest cities in Italy and Milan has one of the longest traditions in Euroleague with Milano being a very powerful team in the 80s and early 90s. It is a very important market for us and the city was very helpful as well and they are truly committed in making this a success. This is why we choose Milan.”

“The city of Milan, which is well known all around the world for its landmarks and will live a very important international occasion with the 2015 Expo, will be able to offer a wonderful scenario for an extraordinary event like the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four,” Chiara Bisconti, Sports Deputy of the City of Milan said. “I will personally make sure that our city, its streets and squares, will be full of people playing basketball for the event. We will provide and unforgettable experience for athletes, workers, visiting supporters and the citizens of Milan.”

Milan boasts a Final Four legacy that reaches back further than any city in European basketball. Almost 50 years ago, in 1966, Milan hosted the very first Final Four to decide a European club champion, with hometown club Olimpia Milano winning that year’s continental title.

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