'Tete-a-tete' with Shay Shtriks: “Nothing will stop the Balkan International Basketball League!”

“Almost everything is already negotiated. My goal and that of our partners is to create a professional basketball league, in which each country of the Balkan peninsula will have its reserved place” – said the former referee and author of that big sports project Shay Shtriks.
 

Shay Shtriks visited our south-western neighbour Macedonia last weekend and watched the final game of the Men’s Cup tournament between the teams of Strumica and Feni Industry. There the ex FIBA referee agreed with answering a few questions to the Macedonian journalists who seemed really interested in BIBL. Here it is the whole interview with him:
 

“Before starting the conversation I would like to underline something very important. Nobody will stop the BIBL. There are no obstacles that could not be removed. So that I do not see any reason why the league should not be formed.”
 

When do we have to expect the BIBL to start? There are rumours it will be from October?

“It is true. We are planning to start from October. Here I would like to express my huge satisfaction with what I saw in the final game here in Kavadarci. Undoubtedly this is what we are looking for and what made us give life to our idea. I saw a gym full of amazing audience. The atmosphere was phenomenal. The spectators had come to watch good basketball and they had it – a really dramatic and tied to the same end field battle. Both teams deserve to be praised because they made an exciting performance. That is exactly the type of teams we need and want in our league. Our aim is a basketball show. ”

What are the main purposes of the league?

“I strongly believe, one day in the future, after the creation of BIBL, to be able to organize a final four of the winners of all the existing leagues in Europe – Adriatic, Northern, Baltic and of course Balkan. Here I can not exclude FIBA and ULEB because it does not mean we are not going to work with them.”

Do you have approval from one of the two main structures in European basketball?

“Yes, we do of course, especially from FIBA Europe. We had a few conversations with the Sports Director Mr. Kosta Iliev. The Secretary General Mr. Nar Zanolin is informed as well. They are a part of all the conversations and negotiations and we have their positive attitude.”

What is going to be the efficiency of the league in comparison to the others already existing ones? For example, the first four teams in the Adriatic and Northern leagues have the right to participate in ULEB Cup from the next season. Is something similar possible in BIBL?

“Look, let’s create and start the league first and after that we will give an answer to that question. We are not in a hurry. First of all we want everything to be perfect and to put the foundations of that league. In the course of time all details will be arranged.”

It is said that during the first season the number of participating teams will be 10 or 12. Is there more clarity about that?

“We are still waiting for letters of intent from some of the Balkan federations. Let’s see what they think about the initiative. We are nut pressing anybody, but we want to see if there is any interest. The number of the teams is the easiest thing. Therefore I can state now we are ready either for 10 or 12 teams.”
 

The basic question is whether the clubs will come from the six countries in the region?

“I believe so. Apart from the rest of the leagues, we will communicate directly with the national federations and not with the clubs. This will be a regulation in the contracts signed by the federations and us. The federations will have the right to choose which clubs to participate in BIBL. At present we have preliminary negotiations and we have entered into contract with the federations of Bulgaria, Macedonia, Serbia, Greece, Romania and Turkey.”
 

Are the requirements for taking part in the league familiar?

“It is sure that there will always be a special spot for the best clubs from the Balkan peninsula in BIBL. But for a start we have to be realistic. In the beginning middle-placed clubs in the domestic championships will participate, clubs that want to try themselves on the European stage without being supposed to spare a lot of time and extra money from their budgets.”
 

And what about the structure of the league?

“That article is almost finished as well. Soon all the details will be specified in order to prevent disputable situations. We will try to distinguish from the structure of FIBA and ULEB and we will fit the schedule of BIBL to the national championships of the certain countries. There will be a final tournament, as it is popular nowadays in basketball – final four.”
 

Mr. Shtriks, thank you very much for the time spared. We wish you good luck in your initiative and we do keep our fingers crossed to have BIBL from October.

“Thank you, we will need luck. I hope we are going to work together from now on. You, the journalists should be the promoters of BIBL and the connection between us and the fans. And to the fans, I would like to say they have to prepare for a new basketball performance. Our greatest desire is to be surrounded by people pleased with what they have seen. I mean the atmosphere in the hall in Kavadarci during the final game. ”
 

The main “guilty person” for that big Balkan project added also that it is planned the organizers to take all the expanses of the teams. Most probably there will be one chief sponsor and a few smaller ones. Shay Shtriks explained that the Board of BIBL will consist of representatives of all the national federations members of the league. Robert Gergov and Shtriks himself will also be members. Stavros Doukis is planned to be on top of the BIBL Committee and Macedonian representative in the league will be Ilija Merdzhanovski.

As BulgarianBasket.com announced early that month all the details around the Balkan League will be known until the end of April 2008 when an official press conference will take place.