On Friday evening, the Basketball Federation of Slovenia (KZS) published a memo from FIBA Europe sent as a message that this European federal association had suspended KZS and the male national team from participating at the European championship in 2017. News spread like fire through Europe – FIBA decided for a collective punishment of all countries whose clubs refused to play in FIBA's club competitions.

Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Russia, Lithuania, Poland, Italy and Spain form the list of 14 suspended associations and teams that will not be allowed to play at EuroBasket 2017!

It is hard to imagine a real European championship without these 14 countries with rich tradition in basketball. The suspended association and teams could follow the example of ULEB, a private association of clubs, and organised their own competition, which could be even more competitive and interesting than EuroBasket 2017 without Spaniards, Italians, Greeks, Russians, Lithuanians and all teams from the region of former Yugoslavia. European sports journalists have already formed an opinion on the likely main rivals at EuroBasket if suspensions remain in place: France's nearest contestant for gold medal could be Finland.

What is more, FIBA Europe did not stop at punishments for the European championship, which Slovenia still needs to qualify for. From the organisation's seat in Munich, Kamil Nowak and company have also sent a letter to the central FIBA association and demanded a retake of the qualification draw for Rio Olympics, and according to Spanish media even a suspension of Spain and Lithuania, whose teams have already earned a spot at the summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Several of the suspended national teams who could still qualify for the remaining three "tickets" to the Rio Olympics, are Serbia, Greece, Italy, Croatia and Turkey.

To. G., MMC; translated by K. Z.