Euroleague - Press release on the meeting between UE commissioner for Education - ULEB
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EUROLEAGUE PRESS RELEASE ON THE MEETING BETWEEN UE COMMISSIONER FOR EDUCATION AND CULTURE AND EUROLEAGUE REPRESENTATIVE'S
The Greek newspaper "Eleftherotypia" has published various news regarding the ULEB and the EUROLEAGUE organisation with the unique intention of creating confusion and disturbance in the basketball fans that are so excited with this new league.
On the contrary to what the publication says, ULEB is an entity that has been legally established as per the communitarian laws. The EUROLEAGUE is a competition that has been organised by legal entities (which are the ULEB and the clubs) and that works under the European Union treaty.
The EUROLEAGUE was presented to Mdme Vivianne Reding, the Commissioner of Education and Culture, last October the 10th . The Commissioner's position was clear: athletic organisations have autonomy and freedom to organise themselves as they wish, the only limitation being to respect the communitarian Laws. Also, she pointed out the need for the professional sport to have a determined treatment among the athletic organisations, as well as different from that of the amateur. To prove this, we are attaching the group statement released after the meeting of October the 10th.
Thus, it is not only false that the European Commission is going to declare ULEB as illegal, but all the contrary. From last July, ULEB presented all its official documentation to the European Commission, as per the article 81 of the European Union treaty.
It is also false the statement regarding the president of the club Olympiakos, Mr. Kokalis. The president of Olympiakos has stayed away, at all times, from any dealings with Greek televisions, and he has been very respectful with these negotiations, which have been between EUROLEAGUE representatives and TV Greek channels.
Lastly, it is also false the information stating that no country has acquired the rights of EUROLEAGUE. 14 TV channels have acquired the rights to broadcast our games, up to this day.
Due to all this false information published by the newspaper "Eleftherotypia", the EUROLEAGUE will ask its legal consultants to study the possibility to initiate legal action against this publication.
