A Barcelona court has dismissed an appeal filed by the Asociación de Clubes de Baloncesto (ACB) and José Miguel Calleja against a judicial resolution admitting a legal complaint brought by Baloncesto Sevilla, formerly known as Real Betis Baloncesto SAD, according to judicial records. The ruling from the Tribunal de Instancia número 4 of Barcelona leaves ongoing legal proceedings active regarding the club’s exclusion from Spain’s top professional basketball division.
The Legal Dispute and Origins in 2025
The core of the dispute dates back to the summer of 2025. According to court filings and regional reporting, Baloncesto Sevilla sought entry into the Liga Endesa following a sporting promotion in early June 2025, when the team won the Final Four in the Primera FEB. However, during an Extraordinary Assembly in late July 2025, the ACB denied the club’s registration request, citing document irregularities. The decision allowed Covirán Granada to maintain its top-flight status for the subsequent campaign.
In response to the assembly’s decision, club president Pedro Fernández turned to ordinary courts and the CSD to safeguard the entity’s interests. Court documents show that Baloncesto Sevilla maintained it had satisfied financial canons and submitted all requisite paperwork for registration. Despite these assertions, the judicial system has repeatedly rebuffed attempts by the Andalusian club to secure precautionary measures that would force its inclusion in the 18-team Liga Endesa bracket.
Court Actions and Precautionary Measures
The recent decision from the Barcelona court follows earlier legal efforts by magistrates in the city. In related proceedings detailed by Canal Sur, Judge José Manuel Martínez Borrego, presiding over Barcelona’s Court of First Instance Number 61, previously dismissed a request for precautionary measures demanded by the club to participate in the 2025–26 season. That initial refusal cemented Covirán Granada’s place in the league while leaving the Seville-based outfit without a spot in the professional tier.
Subsequent legal maneuvers involved a legal complaint targeting the ACB and two of its executives, including José Miguel Calleja. The latest auto from the Tribunal de Instancia número 4 specifically rejects the appeal brought by the league and Calleja to overturn the initial May 6 admission of that complaint, keeping the judicial inquiry moving forward even as the sporting fallout deepens for the club.
Implications for the Future of Baloncesto Sevilla
Founded in 1987 and competing under the Real Betis banner from 2016 through 2025, the historic club now faces severe operational threats. Reports from regional outlets indicate that because club leadership did not pursue registration in the second-tier Primera FEB after missing out on the Liga Endesa, the lack of active competition places the entity at risk of dissolution and potential liquidation under Spanish sports law.
The ACB has consistently defended the integrity of its assembly process, maintaining that the league operates with 18 confirmed clubs and that administrative requirements are mandatory for all promotion candidates. As the judicial investigation stemming from the admitted complaint continues in Barcelona, neither club officials nor league representatives have announced immediate next steps following the latest court dismissal.
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