The general director of the Euroleague spoke about the chances of Russian clubs returning to international competitions

Euroleague Basketball General Director Paulius Motiejunas assessed the chances of Russian clubs returning to international tournaments.

Russian clubs have been suspended from participating in the Euroleague, Eurocup and other international competitions due to the situation in Ukraine.

— In the new season we will have the same format. We are going step by step, there is no clear plan. We want to see what will happen to the Russian teams when they can come back, what will happen to the Eurocup… There are a lot of things to think about. We don’t want to be a closed league, we never have been.

The Eurocup is our second very important tournament which involves big clubs. We give everyone the opportunity to compete for access to the Euroleague. We also want to develop the Eurocup, where we see the progress of the clubs. It is difficult to go directly to the Euroleague, so it is an intermediate step,” Motiejunas said, as quoted by SDNA.

Earlier, the media reported that next season a club from the United Arab Emirates may join the Euroleague list.

— It is logical that there is an interest, and we like that there is a will on both sides. We’re talking about a great city with an incredible stadium. The decision is difficult, because we are talking about another continent, another culture.

Negotiations take time because decisions are not easy to make. Teams will vote until that happens, but we’re taking it step by step. Of course there are doubts, but we don’t see doubts among those leading the project. It’s a challenge for everyone. The Euroleague is a very high-level tournament, participating in it is like jumping on a train traveling at a speed of 120 km/h. There is a risk, we want to minimize it, that is why our proposal is that the Dubai team must first participate in the EuroCup and show its level there,” Motiejunas noted.