The growth of Euroleague of basketball has drawn the attention of Dubai y Emirates Group he is willing to put on the table the millions it takes to enter the business. The company, through its airline Emiratesyou are willing to multiply by six the amount you currently pay Turkish Airlines for sponsoring the highest continental competition.
The Emirates Group’s offer is 60 million euros a year, for the 10 that the Euroleague currently receives from the Turkish airline in exchange for the naming and sponsorship of the competition. However, the proposal received from Dubai would go much further and would also mean a revolution in European basketball.
the greek portal Gazzetta.gr unveiled Dubai’s interest in hosting at least one EuroLeague Final Four within the next four years. This would be the first time that the top European competition would play its title matches outside the Old continent. The pavilion in which the Final Four would be played would be the Coke Sand with capacity for 17,000 people.
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But Dubai’s plans do not stop there, since the emirate is exploring with the leaders of the competition to create a team from scratch and play the Euroleague permanently, like Real Madrid o Barcelona having A licenses. This point is the one that raises the most controversy, even among the clubs themselves, since Dubai could create a super team without any salary limit and make the market much more expensive, as has happened with the Manchester City or the PSG in soocer.
Emirates Group’s commitment to European basketball is serious. This offer to the Euroleague is another step in the emirate’s strategy to make Dubai the host of major competitions. In the coming years, a major image campaign will be carried out with the intention of opening United Arab Emirates to the world.
Since the arrival of Dejan Bodiroga to the post of president in substitution of Jordi Bartomeu, the Euroleague has set out to open new paths to continue with the growth shown in recent years. Accepting the offer from the Emirates Group would fulfill its short-term aspirations, but it would also mean giving up a part of the history of the competition.
[Así es Wembanyama, el nuevo genio de 2,20 que ha llevado la locura a la NBA: “Es un extraterrestre”]
reduce losses
The economic injection that would come from Dubai would make the big clubs, such as Real Madrid or Barcelona, reduce losses. Currently, European basketball is not profitable and new ways need to be explored in order to fight for a piece of the pie left by the NBA. The American competition, in addition, catches younger and younger European players, which makes the work of the teams’ youth academy very difficult.
The Euroleague needs to squeeze the product and for this there is a delegation in Dubai. The opening of the old European competition to the Arab world is getting closer to happening. 60 million euros a year are to blame. At the moment, the NBA is already studying the route of petrodollars, as evidenced by the friendly matches played by the Bucks and the Hawks in Abu Dhabi.
