The whole European basketball ecosystem is threatened. The number of young players, in France and in the rest of Europe, engaging with American universities (NCAA) for the next season evolves at high speed (Read our file next week on Basket Europe). This causes a shock wave within continental basketball, particularly its training sectors, because European institutions have not currently have any means to retain their talents in the face of a new completely deregulated market.
Proposals to regulate the market
In this context, the “European basketball forum”, an initiative bringing together 600 actors from the world of the orange ball – players, coaches, general managers and presidents, experts, media representatives -, by the voice of the former legend Sasa Djordjevic, made public on Wednesday to note ” European basketball erosion “, the ” Uncontrolled migration of young talents to the United States and the loss of talent at a crucial stage of its development, with a profound impact on the quality of European basketball, in particular the weakening of its national leagues. »
The collective sounds revolt. He encourages all the actors concerned to unite to react before it is too late and lists a series of proposals to explore. Among which ” The creation of a legal framework, under the direction of the FIBA, in order to ensure that each transfer of player is accompanied by a fair and equitable remuneration for all the parties involved in its development. »
Ilias Kamardine (Dijon) takes the direction of the NCAA
Since universities can compensate for hundreds of thousands of dollars their players via the Nile, the exodus of European prospects to the NCAA is amplified. ESPN announces that Dijonnais Ilias Kamardine, 21, will join Ole Miss, alias the University of Mississippi, next season.
The press release in its entirety:
” Dear All,
We will not be anyone’s colony.
We, members of the European basketball forum – made up of more than 600 coaches, professional discipline professionals, club owners, general directors, former players and media representatives – publish this declaration in response to the serious challenges with which European basketball is currently facing. This initiative, the fruit of a constructive and long-standing dialogue, aims to protect the integrity and the future of the European basketball system, now faced with serious problems due to the uncontrolled migration of young talents to the United States.
In recent years, an increasing number of young players have been choosing to join the American university and professional leagues, resulting in a loss of high level talent at a key stage of their development. This trend has a deep impact on the quality of European basketball, weakening national leagues, eroding national identities and diverting resources, formerly devoted to the development of European players, towards models that do not correspond to our cultural and sports values.
Given the severity of the problem, the forum does not oppose the transfer of players to the NCAA or the NBA. On the contrary, he advocates that all these transfers are governed by clear international legal frameworks, which can only be established according to the standards of the FIBA. The forum requires the creation of a legal framework, under the direction of the FIBA, in order to guarantee that each transfer of player is accompanied by a fair and equitable remuneration for all the parties involved in its development. In order to guarantee a fair process, the regulation of transfers to the United States must rely on the rules of the FIBA, which guarantee a balanced and fair approach.
In light of this situation, as representatives responsible for the European basketball community, we call on all the institutions and all the organizations concerned to recognize the seriousness of this problem and to take urgent and appropriate measures to stop the additional erosion of European basketball, with the FIBA as the driving force of these necessary actions.
Our declaration includes the following key points:
1. Legal regulations for migration of players
The first problem to be resolved is the loss of young high -level players and control over their development. While clubs and European national federations continue to invest significant resources in the training and development of young talents, they lose these players at the most critical stages of their development, between 16 and 22 years old. This migration threatens the sustainability of European basketball.
We call for the establishment of legal frameworks, through the FIBA regulations, to supervise the circulation of young people from Europe to NCAA and NBA, in order to preserve the development system of European basketball and its infrastructure. This framework must ensure that European clubs and federations are protected and paid fairly for the players they have formed, up to the value that these players bring to the world basketball market.
2. Protection of European identity
-A key aspect of the current crisis is the erosion of national identities in European basketball. While more and more young players are going to the American system, the European national teams and federations welcome athletes shaped by a radically different philosophy of basketball. These players arrive with different values, game styles and tactical habits, which disrupts the unit of the team and reduces the competitiveness of European basketball.
We emphasize the importance of preserving the cultural, fun and collective values of European basketball. The European approach, focused on technical skills, collective play and long -term development, is essential to maintaining the integrity of the game on our continent. We believe that FIBA must play a more active role in the future of basketball in order to ensure that the singularity of European basketball is not lost in the precipitation to adopt the American models.
3. Establishment of institutional regulations
To solve these problems, we call for the creation of a unified European basketball policy, ensuring coordination between all European leagues, basketball federations and FIBA. This policy must allow a clear legal framework to regulate the migration of young players and establish a sustainable system which supports the development of young talents across Europe.
We urge the FIBA to review existing regulations or to introduce news if necessary, and to conclude a legal agreement between FIBA and USA Basketball establishing a fair and transparent players transfer process. This agreement must guarantee appropriate financial compensation for clubs, leagues and federations that have formed the players. In addition, he must guarantee that the NCAA and the NBA are required to follow the same market rules as their European counterparts.
4. Increase in investment in national leagues and development programs
A crucial step to ensure the future of European basketball is to increase investments in national leagues and young youth development programs. We urge national federations and clubs to redouble their efforts to improve the infrastructure and resources necessary for the retention of young talents in their country of origin. Thanks to adequate investments in coaches, training centers and competitive leagues, European clubs can continue to train and develop players for the highest levels of competition.
These efforts must align with the broader vision of the FIBA and be supported by clear and restrictive regulations which guarantee equity and coherence in all regions.
5. Cooperation with international institutions
Finally, we call for active cooperation with international institutions, including FIBA and other competent organizations, in order to create a global framework guaranteeing a balanced approach to the development of basketball talents. Thanks to a collaboration with global organizations, European basketball can guarantee the harmony of national and international systems, by granting absolute priority to the interests of players, clubs and supporters.
Conclusion
We urge all European basketball stakeholders to act immediately to meet the challenges described in this declaration. We recognize that the future of European basketball depends on our ability to adapt, coordinate and protect the values that have made this sport a unique and prosperous sport on the whole continent.
We are convinced that the FIBA, in collaboration with national federations and leagues, will assume the responsibility of making the necessary changes to preserve the future of European basketball. We remain determined to work together to build a fair and sustainable system for the development of young players worldwide.
This declaration represents the collective position of coaches, experts, owners of clubs, managing directors and all those who are committed to the preservation of European basketball. Aware of the importance of this issue, we call all members of the European basketball community to support this initiative and to contribute to its realization. Our goal is to protect the future of European basketball, preserve its identity and offer young players the opportunity to flourish within a system that reflects our values, with the support of FIBA regulations.
This declaration will be sent to all the addresses concerned, including FIBA, European political institutions and all other organizations which, according to the forum, can help solve this problem.
European basketball forum – Aleksandar “Sasha” Djordjevic, Danko Cvijeticanin, Kosta Jankov and other members of the forum. »»
