BarcelonaThe final of the 1969 European Cup was held at the Palau d’Esports in Barcelona, still during the Franco regime. Real Madrid played against CSKA Moscow, the highest sports representative of the USSR, a country with which Spain did not have political relations. The official propaganda tried to convince the Barcelona fans to support the Madrid team, but the pavilion ended up acclaiming the Soviet team, which prevailed after two overtimes by 99-103.
The Madrid of David Brabender, Emiliano Rodríguez and Clifford Luyk was the big favorite, because they played the third consecutive final. Raimundo Saporta, the head of the basketball section of the white club, used his influence to convince Juan Antonio Samaranch, then state delegate for Physical Education and Sports, to bring the final close to Madrid. “I did not agree that the final should be played in Barcelona. ‘Do not you worry. It’s Barcelona. You’ll see how they end up cheering you on, ’William Jones, FIBA general secretary, told me. And it was true! That day I understood the rivalry between Barcelona and Madrid “, acknowledged Aleksandr Gómelski. The Russian coach died in 2005.
The coach of Real Madrid was the legendary Pedro Ferrándiz. “We lost and I think it was held even on the Rambla. In the last minutes, the Barcelona fans totally opted for the rival. I heard the word TSKA more times than in Moscow [nom amb què era conegut aleshores el CSKA]. If the final had not been played in Barcelona, I think we would have won another European Cup. It was one of the most painful defeats of my career “, acknowledged the coach in a report published by the newspaper As.
The chronicle of Sports world, on the other hand, explained a contradictory version. “The final had, in fact, a brilliant framework, formed by an audience that opted for the Madrid team with a fervor and a delivery that the same Real Madrid partners would not have managed to overcome. The Catalan fans, as we all hoped, knew how to live up to it and honor the trust that our sporting powers had placed in it. Player number 6 responded fully “, wrote Manuel Espín. The truth is that the Catalan fans warmed up with referee Belosevic, who canceled out a basket scored between Belov and Lipso at the end of the first overtime. “When a referee cancels a basket, he must have his reasons. If he canceled it, for some reason it must have been ”, Ferrándiz limited himself to commenting.
Armenka Alatchachan, Armenian coach of CSKA, used a very wide rotation of players and this displaced a Real Madrid shorter in cash and with a more classic approach. Andreev scored 37 points.
“A great match”
More than half a century later, CSKA is testing Barça this Wednesday (9pm, DAZN), who want to lick the wounds of Sunday’s unexpected defeat against Valencia Basket. “I will not lie here, neither to the media nor to the people who listen to us. We have to keep improving, it’s a problem we have and we talk a lot about, “said Sarunas Jasikevicius. The coach of the Barça team expects an extremely difficult match against a rival that adds two fewer victories to the standings. “I never like to comment on other teams, but to be on the final four as many times as they are historic. It is a fact to take off your hat “, added the Lithuanian trainer.
“Sunday was a game with many mistakes. We need to find regularity. CSKA is a rival that will require us to be very solid. It’s a big, important match. It is a team with a lot of experience and we will have to be very focused “, said Nico Laprovittola, Barça’s base.
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