 CBA faces legal action over handling of club promotion
(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-09-10 07:48 Chinese basketball made the headlines again in the local media just two weeks after the Beijing Olympics, as a secondary division club vowed to sue the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) after failing to make it into the premier league. Guangdong Fenglu, champion of the National Basketball League (NBL) last season, is reportedly preparing a lawsuit against CBA, alleging it broke league rules by preventing Fenglu from joining the premier league this year. The CBA denies the claim. "We cannot accept it," Fenglu's general manager Xiao Qinglong told Sina.com. "There is too much behind-the-scenes stuff out there. We have to protect ourselves by taking legal action. "I can tell you we will sue the CBA as soon as possible." The current 16-team premier league is set to draft an extra club for the 2008-09 season that takes place in October, with Fenglu, Tianjin Ronggang and Qingdao Double Stars the major candidates. According to CBA rules, a 16-people committee, consisting of five CBA members, four media representatives and promotion companies, and seven CBA standing committee members voted on the matter. "Does anyone know what went on during the vote?" Xiao said. "We didn't even know there was a vote and I don't know why we lost to Tianjin and Qingdao. "We have invested more than 20 million yuan to become the best team in the NBL. We have the best facilities and we have paid a lot of attention to our youth team and junior team, but we failed to join the premier league without knowing why." The CBA doesn't buy this and its top official said there were no irregularities. "We formally informed them that we were going to vote for the berths on April 30," said CBA league director Zhang Xiong. "I know they knew about the procedure because they visited a lot of clubs to get votes. So they are not telling the truth. "Winning the NBL last season doesn't mean they qualified for the CBA. According to the regulations, Tianjin and Qingdao were also contenders. I don't think there is anything improper." But fans seem to side with Fenglu. In a poll conducted by Sina.com, 91 percent of participants said CBA's constantly changing regulations and poor management were the reasons behind the dispute. China's men's national team survived the "Group of Death" to finish No 8 at the Beijing Olympics last month. Then, China's youth team was fined 30,000 Swiss Francs ($27,000) after walking out of a game during the Asian Under-18 Championships in Iran. The walkout saw China out of its first tournament semifinal in 31 years. A year ago, its second-string national team finished a distant 10th at the Asian Championships. China Daily (China Daily 09/10/2008 page23) |
