Jordi Bertomeu wants to resume the EuroLeague season only if players are 100% healthy and safe

Jordi Bertomeu talked about the criteria under which the EuroLeague is planning to resume and finish the season in the summer.

The CEO and president of the competition made it clear that games will be played only if players are 100% healthy and safe.

If everything goes according to the plan, then games will be played in one city in July (4-26).

“If you look at the situation then that is a fair analysis. Right now, the conditions are not sufficient to resume the current season and this is the main reason why we have clarified that games will be played only when the right health and safety conditions are in place and when the governments and public health authorities allow.

This was clearly specified when negotiating with the ELPA and they agreed with this priority, including to extend the 2019-20 contracts until July 31, 2020, allowing us to extend the calendar to finish the season in July, a point that shows the commitment by the majority of the players to end the season if all health indicators allow us.

What is 100% clear is that all our clubs supported the scenario of finishing the season in the discussions we held at the last ECA Shareholders Executive Board Meeting.

It is important that we all stick to that decision that was taken only a few days ago. We have the obligation to get everything ready to play the end of the season while there is still hope,” Bertomeu said in a lengthy interview with Sports.ru.

The EuroLeague will make a decision on the resumption of the season by May 24.

If the league indeed resumes the season, then preparation (quarantine, training sessions) will start from late May and will end in July 2.

The EuroLeague seems determined to finish the season, yet some top players, like Nando De Colo, Aaron Jackson and Mike James, did not agree with that and suggested the season should be canceled.