“Russian places in the Euroleague are already taken. When it is possible to return, there will be no more vacancies” – Vatutin

CSKA president Andrey Vatutin said in an interview with that a return to the Euroleague in the current geopolitical realities is out of the question, even if the opponents are accepted on neutral bases.

CSKA, Zenit Saint Petersburg and UNICS Kazan have been excluded from the Euroleague since March 2022. Their results from last season have been cancelled.

– In the current geopolitical realities, the return of Russian teams to the Euroleague is not possible. No way. Even on neutral ground. Those hoping for a quick return are simply off the table today. In addition to politics, there are difficulties with flights, paying for hotels, obtaining visas, security guarantees, etc.

There is one more thing to understand. The “Russian” places in the tournament are already taken. So far temporarily, but the same Monaco asks for a long-term license, Partizan collects 15,000 full houses, and also strives to establish a long-term relationship with the Euroleague. In addition, the tournament management is actively interested in the markets of London, Paris, Dubai… When we have the opportunity to play in Europe again, there will be no more vacancies. It will be necessary to fight for them, to prove the profits of the 140 million market, because the Euroleague is a commercial competition based on the earnings of the league and the clubs. Even in 2021, flying to Russia was far away, more problems arose than profits, TV and marketing revenues tended to a minimum. Yes, at that time it was interesting for the league to have cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg, a brand like CSKA. But our brand is attractive not just with four letters and a great story, it’s strong in conjunction with a big budget and a stellar team that appeals to European fans. Now many, like in the early 2000s, will need to be redone.

– To what extent is CSKA involved in the work of the Euroleague as an organization?

— We remain shareholders, we cooperate in negotiation mode, most often online. The contacts are registered, we communicate a lot. Of course, the situation seems a bit strange: the team cannot play and management decisions are made with the participation of CSKA, but these are the characteristics of the moment. They always listen to us carefully,” Vatutin said in an interview with .

CSKA is an eight-time Euroleague winner (four titles in Russian history), the last time the team won this trophy was in 2019.

Source : MatchTV

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