ZANOLIN OUT IN FIBA EUROPE COUP

FIBA Europe Secretary General Nar Zanolin has been sacked by the organisation’s executive committee, currently headed by president Olafur Rafnsson.

The shock move, confirmed to MVP by senior sources at FE, comes amid a political battle between the European governing body and its counterparts at FIBA over the future of international basketball.

While the Geneva-based FIBA had recent published proposals to move its own World Cup to the year before each Olympics to avoid a clash with its footballing counterpart, Zanolin had led resistance to the idea which would have forced its own EuroBasket – one of its main financial earners – to move to a four-yearly cycle rather than the current two.

However it is understood that the Canadian was removed from his post following a meeting of FE’s executive on Monday, ending his decade-long stint at the helm.

During his tenure, Zanolin vastly expanded FIBA Europe, growing the organisation out from just four employees while moving out from under FIBA’s umbrella and shifting its base to Munich.

A relative peace has also broken out with European clubs body ULEB despite a failure to streamline the structure of the secondary competitions sitting under the Euroleague.

FIBA Europe is expected to issue a statement later.

Main Photo: FIBA Europe / Emilio Cobos