MEETING OF THE COACHES
AT THE EUROLEAGUE HEADQUARTERS

The ULEB´s Euroleague brought together today at its headquarters in the Palau Sant Jordi of Barcelona the coaches and press officers of almost all the Euroleague clubs for a working session. In his greeting to the press officers and coaches, Jordi Bertomeu, the C.E.O. of the Euroleague, stressed that there are not only two European competitions at this moment, but rather four, and that there is no doubt as to which is the best. "Ours is," assured Bertomeu, who recognised that, " we are missing two or three clubs that did not want to be with us, but we expect to have them next season." The Chief Executive Officer of the Euroleague declared once again that this League has not been created to go against anyone. This league is the express desire of the clubs and exists to serve them. He also asked for the opinions of the coaches concerning the new rules and assured them that if changes need to be made, "they will be made because it is not our desire to follow the orthodoxy of FIBA."

Bertomeu also confirmed the creation of a second competition for next season because many clubs are requesting it.

Several topics were discussed in two parallel sessions. Costas Rigas and Alan Richardson, the heads of the Euroleague referees, discussed the new rules, refereeing criteria and technical aspects with the coaches. The coaches were very pleased to have been consulted on the eve of the new competition on a topic as important as the refereeing, the first time this has ever taken place. The fact that the meeting lasted longer than expected is an indication of the interest of the coaches.

Simultaneously, the press officers met with Andrea Bassani, Director of Marketing and Media, and Vladimir Stankovic, Director of Communication, about the future collaboration between clubs and the organisation. The importance of statistics was also discussed, and the mutual obligations for the development of this extremely important area.

After the meetings the coaches and press officers met with the local Barcelona media for an informal chat and a "family photo".

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