PAOK coach Andrea Trinchieri calls for single European basketball calendar
PAOK's Andrea Trinchieri wants FIBA, the EuroLeague and national leagues to agree one schedule, saying uneven rest and back-to-backs make games unfair.
PAOK head coach Andrea Trinchieri has called for a single agreed calendar across European basketball, saying the current schedule does not give every side the same working conditions.
"It is like leeches sucking your blood," Trinchieri said. "In sport everyone should have the same working conditions. And you play on Sunday against a rested opponent. You have back-to-back games, they wear you out. You arrive at the match and it is 25:9, the ball is being passed between the legs, the opponents are flying all over the court. It is unfair."
By his account, the problem is the number of tournaments, leagues and obligations placed on players, which leaves the fixture list in disarray.
"We need to sit down at one table: FIBA, the EuroLeague, the Adriatic League, the German championship and the others, and set a schedule. That will make life better for everyone. Now everybody is pulling the shared shirt towards themselves, and in the end each is left with scraps," Trinchieri said.
He put forward his own split of the year: "Four months of the EuroLeague, three months of national competitions, two months for FIBA and one for a break and individual work for the players. That will make everything clearer and set aside time for recovery and personal development."
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