British Basketball Chaos Continues As Fiba Suspends Bbf And Bans Men’s Team

The British Basketball Federation (BBF) has been suspended by nan world assemblage Fiba and nan British men’s squad banned from world title successful a melodramatic move that has put nan sport’s backing nether threat.

The Guardian has learned that Fiba has had talks pinch nan UK authorities officials astir nan suspension, which is apt to person implications for its financial support for British hoops to nan tune of £4.75million complete nan adjacent 4 years.

Fiba’s bold measurement is nan latest improvement successful nan extraordinary civilian war that has engulfed British hoops this year. The sports minister, Stephanie Peacock, had discussions pinch backing agency, UK Sport, successful April outlining concerns astir British basketball’s governance.

All organisations seeking authorities aliases National Lottery backing must comply pinch UK Sport and Sport England’s codification for sports governance. It sets retired minimum standards regarding transparency, accountability and integrity. UK Sport is responsible for backing elite sport, pinch Sport England successful complaint of grants to nan grassroots.

Fiba’s determination follows their creation of a task unit successful August to analyse a bid of governance issues related to nan BBF awarding a 15-year licence to tally a caller master men’s competition, nan Great Britain Basketball League, to a consortium led by nan American businessman Marshall Glickman.

In a statement, Fiba said: “Following a broad reappraisal of nan situation, including interviews and meetings pinch hoops stakeholders, nan Task Force has submitted its recommendations to nan FIBA Executive Committee, which decided coming arsenic follows:

“To temporarily suspend nan British Basketball Federation’s authority to licence aliases recognise nationalist men’s competitions and to section a men’s nationalist squad successful Fiba elder competitions, pending solution of nan existent governance issues.

“To authorise nan task unit to prosecute straight pinch hoops stakeholders and nan UK authorities to research and propose an interim operational model for nan top-tier men’s nationalist competitions. These measures purpose to reconstruct regulatory integrity and beforehand sustainable governance of men’s hoops successful Great Britain arsenic soon arsenic possible.”

Fiba’s move casts further uncertainty complete nan GBB League, which had already announced a hold to its first motorboat day by 12 months until September 2027 to align pinch nan imaginable motorboat of NBA Europe. The caller task does not person immoderate clubs, venues aliases commercialized partners.

The contiguous early for Great Britain’s men’s squad is besides uncertain, pinch a World Cup qualifier against Lithuania owed to return spot adjacent period now successful doubt.

In different caller development, nan BBF chair, Chris Grant, resigned past play citing individual reasons. Grant and nan BBF declined to comment.