Basketball: “Paris is a priority in the short term” … Euroleague boss wants a team in the capital

The organization has been thinking about this for a long time: the Euroleague, the private league that runs Europe’s biggest basketball competition, wants to include the Parisian club in its roster. This is stated by his new boss, American Marshall Glickman, in an interview published this Wednesday evening in L’Equipe.

Let’s quickly remember the rule: European basketball cups are a hell of a mess. There are many people with very different interests. You just have to remember that most importantly, the Euroleague, which is the footballers’ equivalent of the Champions League, is therefore run by a private organization that has nothing to do with sporting criteria. She invites everyone she wants to participate. There are currently two French clubs in the competition: Tony Parker’s Asvel and AS Monaco, who shine there. Included are Barcelona, ​​Madrid, Berlin and clubs from major European capitals. But not in Paris, and that should change quickly.

Paris Basketball primarily concerns?

Marshall Glickman confirms that Paris will be in the Euroleague soon, as soon as possible: “Like other markets (Germany, UK), Paris is a priority, and in the short term,” the Euroleague boss insists. What will this Parisian club be like, which in a year, two or three will play in the Euroleague with the staff of European basketball? Paris Basketball, the only elite club in Paris, is clearly at the forefront. The club is run by two Americans David Kahn and Eric Schwartz, and this unites interests: “The fact that I have known David for 40 years does not change anything,” continues Marshall Glickman. I have to make a recommendation to the shareholders in our interests. We support what he’s doing with Eric Schwartz. But the Euroleague needs a hall with at least 10,000 seats. The arena, which will open next year (2024, Porte de la Chapelle), has a capacity of only 8,000. This is not enough. One solution would be to move to AccorArena. In addition, there are other projects in the French capital with different owners, potentially greater resources and the same ambitions. We talk to several people. »

With the leaders of Nanterre and Boulogne-Levallois, at first glance, it’s not like that: “I can’t talk about it at this stage,” the Euroleague boss concludes. In order to invite the Parisian team, the Euroleague plans to expand to 24 teams (versus sixteen today). Already next season, he can rise to twenty. With Paris?