International Hoops

Malaga’s hosting win is the secondary story in BCL F4 drama

Unicaja Malaga fans will get to watch their team challenge for the Basketball Champions League title in their own arena but the decision is shrouded in drama as Hapoel Jerusalem missed out on hosting

I am often wrong and rarely informed. I said as much last night as the expectations over where the Basketball Champions League Final Four would take place in May. Once Hapoel Jerusalem had dispatched AEK in Game 3, journalists who are always more informed than me and right far more often said it was effectively Jerusalem’s to lose.

Chatter about the matter however quickly became qualified and what seemed like an absolute lock ended in utter shock as I ended up being right [https://www.eurohoops.net/en/fiba-champions-league/1491725/malaga-to-host-the-basketball-champions-league-final-four/]. Given I had no sources and was basing the matter entirely on gut instinct that’s not a good sign. What on earth happened?

The options
The potential sites for the Final Four were whittled down in short order. Tenerife, winners last year, have too small an arena and the same goes for Telekom Baskets Bonn. A neutral or semi-neutral site, last year’s Bilbao venue with two Spanish but non-Bilbao area clubs contesting fits the latter model, is a risky affair and preferably avoided by the BCL because ticket sales matter but so too does the presentation to broadcast partners.

A true home side in a good sized but not overly large arena to risk large empty spaces is preferable, at least at this point in the BCL’s development. That made both Malaga and Jerusalem ideal cities with strong home support and arenas that hit the sweet spot perfectly. Unicaja’s Palacio de Deportes José Maria Martin Carpena has an 11,300 capacity while Hapoel play in the 11,000 capacity Pais arena.

FIBA and the BCL like to move major events around so the idea of a second straight Final Four in Spain, was never likely to appeal. That had everything lining up in Hapoel’s favour to host it all.

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The drama
When Hapoel Jerusalem left Eurocup, Euroleague’s feeder competition, for the Basketball Champions League in its inaugural season it was a big get for the latter. FIBA’s tournament had landed a whale in the fight for legitimacy as Europe’s second most important basketball…

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