Following the publication of the long investigation by Romain Molina and Xavier Monnier published today on Blast-Info.frthe general director of AS Monaco Basket, Oleksiy Yefimovsent us his comments:
“My initial question concerns the timing and reasons for today’s publication. Why was this article published now and who is the beneficiary? It is obvious that the author of this article hid part of the information he received from Mr. Alexei Fedorychev’s lawyer, Maître Arnaud Zabaldano, with the aim of manipulating the facts. It appears that the author has selectively presented information, which raises questions about the agenda of the narrative. For example, the assertion that: “The LNB has indeed commissioned a legal report to study the issue, according to information from Blast” lacks basis, because all relevant documents are publicly available. Thus, the journalist could easily download all the “Records of decisions of the General Assembly” since they are available in open sources (https://www.lnb.fr/elite/documents-lnb/) and there is clear evidence that the General Assembly never requested such an investigation (editor’s note: the accessible documents do not allow access to the complete minutes of the AGM).
Additionally, the Ukrainian sanctions review fails to acknowledge ongoing legal challenges, casting doubt on the veracity of the claims. If the journalist had done in-depth research on the Ukrainian sanctions, he would certainly have noticed that this imposition of sanctions was decided without legal basis and is currently the subject of an appeal before the highest administrative court of Ukraine (the Court Administrative Cassation of the Supreme Court). This has no consequences on the activities of Mr. Alexei Fedorychev’s companies and it does not affect investments made in France and more generally in Europe. The confusion around these sanctions being limited to the territory of Ukraine is misleading.
Furthermore, Mr. Alexei Fedorychev had already been placed under sanctions in 2019, in an equally unfounded manner, and these had been lifted by decree of the President of Ukraine, Mr. Zelenskiy, on May 14, 2020, in accordance with a decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, which found that they had no basis. This information was provided to the journalist by Mr. Zabaldano, but was not mentioned in the article which therefore seems more sensational.
On the risk that Mr. Fedorychev will have to withdraw his investments if he was at some point placed on the EU sanctions list over the Ukraine conflict? Is this a concern for Monaco Basket (and French basketball)? There is no reason to speculate on this. Given the current situation, I do not perceive any risk in this regard, the Ukrainian authorities themselves maintain confidence in the legality of Mr. Alexei Fedorychev’s investments which are not affected by the sanctions, probably anticipating results similar to the resolutions of previous sanctions. Therefore, there is no factual or legal basis for imminent concern regarding the extension of national sanctions to the European Union or France. Thus, there is no fear that the basketball project could be in danger.
On the links between Skweek (FedCom) and ASVEL. I don’t know anything about a note from the LNB on this subject. I even doubt its existence when I refer to the official LNB documentation. I am not authorized to speak on behalf of Skweek as my only role is that of General Manager of the Roca Team and I am not involved in any way in the affairs of FedCom Media. It is essential to note that describing the situation requires us to justify actions, connections, or associations that do not reflect our position. Mr. Alexei Fedorychev’s contributions have been invaluable, propelling the growth of the league despite past financial challenges. I believe that Mr. Alexei Fedorychev’s enthusiasm and passion for basketball benefits French basketball. The growth of the League and the game in general over the past few years is unparalleled! It is no secret that the recent financial situation of the League was not very sustainable and easy. I work with facts, so let’s talk about the current balance sheet of the LNB: there are unpaid loans, and the balance sheet would be negative if it were not for the contribution of TV rights. So let’s focus on results and achievements rather than conspiracy theories or speculation. The investments that have been made are legal otherwise they would not have been made. The LNB is a serious and rigorous organization. Unlike the oligarch label assigned by Blast, I see Mr. Alexei Fedorychev in a completely different way: always sharing his energy with his team rather than spending time in VIP lounges. Such an attitude does not correlate with the title BLAST gave it.
Given that the previously mentioned topic was not discussed at today’s General Meeting, it appears that any potential conflict of interest lies solely within the realm of speculation by the journalist and lacks basis in reality.
I can assure you that Mr. Alexei Fedorychev and our team are firmly committed to pushing the progress of French basketball to unprecedented heights. »
Video teasersurvey available for free on Blast-info.fr (no connection with Blast.Club, Tony Parker’s investment club).
2024-02-15 21:26:06
#Oleksiy #Yefimov #reacts #Blast #investigation
