FIBA intervenes in British basketball crisis with taskforce

FIBA, basketball’s world governing body, has stepped directly into the escalating dispute over the future of the professional game in Britain by creating a dedicated Taskforce for “British Basketball Club Matters.”

In a letter sent on 28 August 2025 to the British Basketball Federation (BBF) seen by Hoopsfix, FIBA said the federation is “not in a position to ensure full compliance” with its statutes in relation to domestic leagues and has therefore established a Taskforce to oversee governance of the professional game.

“As regards the governance of club competitions,” the letter reads, “it is evident that several actions by clubs within your territory require clarification and regularisation and that at this stage, the BBF is not in a position to ensure full compliance, including due to pending legal proceedings.”

The letter also sought to underline FIBA’s support for the federation’s work with the national teams:

“The FIBA Executive Committee expressed its full support for the continuing efforts of the BBF Board, under your leadership, to strengthen the role and authority of the national federation. It commends your commitment to ensuring the high-level representation of your country in FIBA national team competitions throughout the year.”

However, despite expressing support for the BBF’s national team work in the letter, FIBA has moved to intervene in professional league matters.

The intervention comes amid a legal battle between the BBF and Super League Basketball (SLB), with the federation’s controversial 15-year licence to GBB League Ltd (GBBL) now set to face scrutiny in the High Court.

The BBF is currently being sued by SLB, which argues the BBF’s invitation to tender (ITT) for a new league licence was unlawful, anti-competitive, and designed to exclude existing clubs.

SLB maintains that under FIBA regulations it only requires recognition – not a BBF licence – to operate, and has accused the federation of abusing its position by withholding Governing Body Endorsements (GBEs) and blocking European competition entries.

Meanwhile, SLB has counter-sued the BBF for “anti-competitive behaviour”.

️ "We know that the situation is not the easiest one there…"

️ "We created the taskforce to support, to solve the disputes within the British basketball family."

FIBA Europe President Jorge Garbajosa & Executive Director Kamil Novak discuss the creation of a taskforce for… pic.twitter.com/fTHIwgKZmn

— Hoopsfix (@Hoopsfix) September 14, 2025

Speaking at EuroBasket 2025 in Riga, FIBA Europe President Jorge Garbajosa admitted the situation in Britain is “not the easiest one,” saying:

“We are working very closely with the British basketball federation… We create a taskforce, we are working on it, to try to support the basketball in Great Britain and in your country. It’s not an easy task… but obviously we will always be on the side of basketball in the United Kingdom.”

FIBA Executive Director Europe Kamil Novak added that the move was about both potential and necessity:

“This is not a secret (basketball’s potential in the UK). We all see, everybody sees, the potential of the country… we created the taskforce to support, to solve the disputes within the British basketball family, let’s call it this way. But obviously the main work must be done on site… our possibilities are limited and the work must come firstly from the UK, from the basketball authorities in the country, but we are certainly ready to support. The taskforce has been created just a few days ago and let’s see.”

The BBF defends the GBBL deal as delivering “the biggest ever investment into British basketball,” with an upfront commitment of £15 million. But SLB challenge that narrative, alleging the new league failed to meet required funding commitments and remains reliant on raising further capital.

The fallout has left the professional game in limbo for 2025/26, with SLB pressing ahead with season two while its legal fight continues, and GBBL targeting a 2026 launch (though one US outlet is reporting this to be 2027).

While the Taskforce’s full remit has not yet been publicly detailed, its creation signals FIBA’s lack of confidence in the BBF’s ability to regulate impartially.

The intervention also raises immediate questions for referees, players, and clubs. Hoopsfix understands referees are currently unable to officiate SLB games, with officials awaiting BBF approval for the league amid concerns that working unsanctioned competitions could jeopardise their international appointments.

All SLB pre-season games are currently being officiated by lower level referees.

Both FIBA and the BBF were contacted for comment. The BBF responded to say “your questions suggest that there has been a misinterpretation of the letter and the context of it”, indicating to expect a follow up with more information but has yet to provide further detail.

The BBF’s reluctance to clarify FIBA’s intervention speaks to the sensitivity of a situation that has now drawn international oversight to what began as a domestic governance dispute.