FIATC Girona plays its first men’s European basketball match in 18 and a half years this evening, hosting Dinamo Bucarest at Pavelló Girona-Fontajau at 7:45 p.m., as reported by local media. The fixture marks the continental debut for the club founded by Marc Gasol, bridging a gap back to the city’s previous era of international competition that concluded in March 2008.
Return to Fontajau After Nearly Two Decades
Tuesday’s opening group stage fixture against the Romanian side ends a continental absence for Girona’s men’s program that stretches back to March 18, 2008. On that night, the former Akasvayu Girona defeated Hemofarm 76–62 to secure qualification for the ULEB Cup Final Eight in Turin. While Spar Girona has maintained European basketball at Fontajau since 2015, the city’s men’s team has not featured in international play since that 2008 campaign.
The milestone arrives during Bàsquet Girona’s fifth season in the ACB following the club’s promotion in 2022. Head coach Moncho Fernández described the fixture as a historic occasion for the organization. “It is a historic game. We will play in Europe for the first time. It is a special match and we must recover physical and mental energy,” Fernández said.
Tough Domestic Form Precedes Continental Debut
The European return follows a difficult weekend in domestic competition for the Girona squad. The team travels directly into its continental opener following a 118–78 defeat against Baskonia on the road, a fixture complicated by a difficult travel schedule to Vitoria. With minimal recovery time, Girona shifts focus immediately to a group stage schedule that also features Zielona Gora, Patrioti Levice, Oostende, and NHSZ-Szolnoki.
Under the leadership of president Marc Gasol—who played during the club’s previous era under coaches Svetislav Pešić and Pedro Martínez—the modern iteration of the club reaches its first European milestone. The prior CB Girona reached the peak of its international history by winning the FIBA Cup in 2007 and finishing as runners-up in the ULEB Cup in 2008, a run in which the team eliminated Unics Kazan and Dynamo Moscow in Turin before falling 54–79 to Joventut in the title game, before dissolving, paving the way for the current club’s foundation and ascent through the lower divisions.
The historical roots of the club’s European path include five prior continental campaigns. The initial qualification came in the 1989–90 season under coach Alfred Julbe, after the Valvi squad had lost its sporting category months prior but secured a place in the ACB and the Korać Cup by purchasing Granollers’ license from Joaquim Vidal. After easily defeating Luxembourg’s Contern, the team faced Enimont Livorno; Valvi won 100–92 at Fontajau before the Italians overturned the tie with a 101–81 victory away. Ten years passed before Girona returned to Europe in the 1999–2000 season under Trifón Poch, reaching the Korać Cup semifinals by eliminating Faenza, Rimini, and Roma before falling to Dusko Ivanović’s Limoges following a 77–77 draw in Fontajau and a 69–57 defeat in the return leg. A subsequent return the following season ended abruptly when Belgian side Ieper defeated the team twice, 83–70 in Belgium and 66–83 in Fontajau.
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