Germany’s basketball players compete in the World Cup qualifiers. For the first time since winning EM bronze and without the players from the NBA and Euroleague. There is little left of the euphoria of the EM summer.
It was great basketball days at the European Championships in Cologne and Berlin in late summer. In Cologne in particular, there was a festival atmosphere with a sold-out arena and thousands of fans from Lithuania, Slovenia and Bosnia. The European Championships at home were also a sporting success: The selection of the German Basketball Association (DBB) won bronze, the first medal since 2005. They thrilled with victories against favorites like France or Greece and with young, promising players like Franz Wagner.
National player in Berlin against Munich – and not in the DBB team
After the success at the European Championship, the first international matches for the team of national coach Gordon Herbert are now on the agenda again: two games in the World Cup qualifier against Finland on Friday (11/11/2022) and in Slovenia on Monday.
There is also a reunion of the national players – not with the national team in Bamberg, but in Berlin: in the duel between Alba Berlin and FC Bayern, the two best German clubs that meet in the Euroleague. With national players Maodo Lo and Johannes Thiemann (Alba), as well as Andreas Obst and Nick Weiler-Babb (FC Bayern).
Giffey’s move to Bayern also affects DBB
With Niels Giffey there is even a fifth bronze medalist. On Wednesday, Munich officially announced the signing of the national player, who last played for the Spanish club Murcia. It was questionable whether he would wear Bayern dress for the first time against his former club on Thursday evening.
The news that the original Berliner Giffey, former Alba captain and nephew of the governing mayor, is hiring with the long-term rival from Munich, of all things, should not only have gone badly in Berlin. The DBB had also advertised the upcoming qualifiers with the “EM hero” Giffey. Whether Giffey is actually available for the international matches after the short-term move to Munich seemed more than questionable.
“The load is very high“said DBB Vice President Armin Andres, especially for the EM players who had hardly had a break. The DBB is still checking whether there is a possibility that Giffey will at least join the team for the second game on Monday against Slovenia. The decision , emphasized Andres, but was alone with Giffey’s club.
Dispute with the Euroleague over layoffs continues
This leads to the well-known, still unsolved problem: the dispute between the world association Fiba and the Euroleague, the European top league. one like that NBA private-sector organization that does not feel bound by international matches during the season and also does not release national players. Recently there have even been signs that the Euroleague with the best clubs in Europe is moving further away from the base: there is said to be an offer from investors from Dubai who want to invest in the Euroleague holding company, including a new club franchise from the emirate, which could then play against Real Madrid, Panathinaikos or FC Bayern in the future.
For the DBB, the deadlocked dispute with Europe’s top league means that, as in previous qualifying windows, it has to market an international match in which the best German players are missing. Only Christian Sengfelder, Justus Hollatz and center Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann are still there from the EM squad. The latter was subsequently appointed by the national coach because it Kenneth Ogbe, Dominic Lockhart, Leon scratches and Karim Jallow were short-term further failures.
Criticism from Bamberg due to DBB pricing policy
So there is hardly anything left of the EM euphoria. Although the game against Finland will take place in Bamberg, a city with a great basketball enthusiasm, there were still plenty of tickets available in advance. A Bamberg fan club also criticized the DBB’s pricing policy in advance, saying that the tickets were significantly more expensive compared to Bundesliga games. The high prices were already an issue at the home European Championship in summer.
The best seats (without VIP status) cost 40 euros. This may be within the usual range, for international football matches you have to dig much deeper into your pocket. However, the DBB would also have had the chance to advertise themselves even more with cheaper tickets.
DBB team still needs a win for World Cup qualification
The national coach was impassively optimistic, as he was during the European Championship mission, which he ultimately led to success despite many adversities: “It’s a great opportunity to play in Germany again so soon after the European Championship. In addition, in such a great basketball city and with the opportunity to qualify for the World Cup“said the Canadian, who has already won seven out of eight qualifiers with teams that have been weakened in some cases. One win is still missing from the remaining games in order to book the ticket for the 2023 World Cup finals in Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines with certainty Then Franz Wagner, Dennis Schröder and Maodo Lo would certainly be there again.