Emin Amrullayev, the President of the Azerbaijan Basketball Federation, answered journalists' questions regarding the federation's expectations for the new season, Sabah's performance in the FIBA Europe League, and the ABL limit.
- What are your expectations for the new season?
- It will be an interesting season. This year, two more clubs have joined the ABL. There has also been a change in the format. Every team in both Group A and Group B has the chance to become champions. It's a mistake to think that only the strong teams are in the mix. The championship is organized in such a way that there will be more games. With more games, we expect a more exciting championship. I hope this year will bring more thrilling and competitive matches.
- Do you expect a new champion?
- We will see. It doesn’t matter to me who wins. The main thing is that the strongest team emerges victorious.
- Do you think the format change will affect the teams' performances? Strong teams playing against each other may expend more energy...
- That’s why the championship is structured in a way that three teams from the first group and one team from the second group will advance to the playoffs. We have thought about this to compensate for the intensity. As you know, we provide some financial assistance to the clubs. In the coming years, we will offer differentiated financial aid based on the standings of the first and second groups. This will increase clubs' motivation to be in the top six, adding more interest to the championship.
- Although Neftchi won the cup, they couldn’t qualify for the European cups. Is there a stimulated support plan for the cup winner this season?
- Our funding model is very transparent. All clubs participating in the Azerbaijani championship currently have sponsors. This is good news for us. In the future, as a federation, we will work to support more clubs rather than just manage them. The federation should be managed by the clubs, not the other way around.
- You probably watched Sabah’s game in the FIBA Europe League yesterday. Why do you think our team lost?
- It’s game. One side wins, and the other loses. I believe we were very close to victory. I am confident that Sabah has strengthened compared to last year. Our team will make its mark in the upcoming games.
- Do you think Sabah has a chance to advance?
- There’s always a chance. I believe this year it’s even higher.
- What are your thoughts on the new limit? Could it hinder the development of local athletes?
- We apply FIBA's standards to all teams. Each club must have a minimum of seven local players. Regarding the foreign player limit, there are two issues. When analyzing last year, we saw that the performance of purely local players affected the teams' results. We want to bring quality and exciting basketball to Azerbaijan. To improve the quality of the game, we implemented the "4+1" limit. When the foreign player limit was "3+2," our ability to bring in quality foreigners decreased. Quality foreigners wanted more playing time. With "3+2," they had fewer opportunities. Over the next 2-3 years, we aim to implement the "4+1" limit. We have enough talented basketball players in the lower age groups, currently aged 14, 15, and 16. We will have the opportunity to attract these youngsters to basketball. Most likely, we will return to the "3+2" limit later. We just want to increase the championship's appeal and draw fans to the arenas. We believe that today’s limit will be more beneficial.
Emin Aga
Idman.biz
