BarcelonaJoan Laporta’s board, like Real Madrid and Baskonia, preferred the Catalan Jordi Bertomeu to continue as top manager of the Euroleague, a position he has held for the last 22 years. But the majority of clubs with an A license in the top competition of European basketball opted for a relay and this September Dejan Bodiroga, hero in the first Euroleague in Barcelona’s history, assumed the presidency of the body. This, according to ARA has learned, will not lead to any significant change in one of the major topics on the table in key Barça: the suitability of the Palau Blaugrana, where the classic against Real is played this Thursday Madrid in the second day of the competition (8.30 p.m., DAZN).
For many years, the historic venue has not met the requirements of the Euroleague, which has warned the Catalan organization on several occasions of the need to adapt its pavilion to current times. The current one is already more than half a century old. But the body, neither in Bertomeu’s time nor now with the arrival of Bodiroga, does not want to enter into conflicts with one of the main clubs. The former Serbian player wants to get his new relationship with Barça off to a good start. Especially considering that the Blaugrana organization was against taking over the presidency.
“The license extension for the new Palace has no deadline. As long as the club is taking steps forward, this exception will be maintained”, Euroleague sources explain to this newspaper. “In the end, the spirit of the rule is not punitive. What he is looking for is that the licensed teams have bigger and better infrastructures to be able to develop their business”, they add. And, from the Blaugrana club, they also express themselves in the same sense: “The extension is in force and has no deadline”.
In fact, the second jewel in the Espai Barça crown is planned to be the construction of the new Palau Blaugrana on the land left free by the demolition of the Miniestadi. The board of Laporta wants the new venue to have a capacity for around 15,000 spectators (5,000 more than projected by the board of Josep Maria Bartomeu) with the expectation of being able to hold concerts and other events there such as, precisely, a Final Four of the Euroleague.
The problem, in this sense, is that the difficult economic situation that Barça is experiencing and the need to increase the income generated by the Camp Nou mean that the absolute priority – both for the club and for those who in principle have to finance the works, the investment fund Goldman Sachs – be it the remodeling of the football stadium. Thus, the new Palau Blaugrana, which is scheduled to begin construction in the first quarter of 2024 and be completed in the last quarter of 2026, takes a back seat.
No financial penalty
Despite the fact that sources familiar with the problem assure that “annually” Barça receive “sanctioning files with the possibility of a fine” for the delay in adapting the Blaugrana stadium to the demands of the Euroleague, both the body and the club explain that never a financial penalty has been executed. Nor do they anticipate that there will be one with Bodiroga as president. “Regular meetings are being held with Barça on the progress of the project, but no fixed date has been set for its completion,” say the Euroleague.
Meanwhile, several improvement works have begun in the current Palau Blaugrana this October, which should last until December. Thus, a new VIP room will be built, two points of sale for Barça products will be installed, the ambient lighting will be improved, static advertising screens will be placed in the goals and the catering areas will be updated. Previously, the electronic scoreboard was already changed and the track lighting, public address system and parquet were replaced.
These works, apart from improving the infrastructure, serve precisely to avoid sanctions by the Euroleague. “We receive warnings, but since progress is being presented periodically in the restoration of the current Palace and the future works, the moratorium or permission continues”, explain club sources.
A classic with Hezonja as the protagonist
Barça host Real Madrid (8.30pm, DAZN) on the second day of the Euroleague, in what will be the earliest classic in the history of this competition. Sarunas Jasikevicius, who will be without Nikola Mirotic, Kyle Kuric and Sergi Martínez, will try to reverse the trend of the last direct duels against a white team that eliminated the culer team from the final four, of the Endesa League and the Endesa Super Cup. “The keys are the same as always: that they don’t shoot alone and control the rebound. And as always, avoid easy baskets”, says the coach. The great thrill of the match will be to see Mario Hezonja in the shirt of the eternal rival.
“We are worried about the game of possession. In the last end of the Liga Endesa they shot about ten more baskets. In the Super Cup we were quite good in this aspect. This is very long, the feelings are more important than the results “, assures Saras.
One of the key players has to be Tomás Satoransky. “In the last week it has been seen that I am improving, I notice it in every training session. When a player comes from the NBA he needs an adaptation phase, it is normal. I put a lot of pressure on myself to be at the highest level and I am improving. It is necessary be patient”, says the Czech base.
