TOFAŞ Sports Club General Manager Tolga Öngören stated that every match will be difficult in the last 16 rounds of the Basketball Champions League. “The nice thing here is that the two Turkish teams are in the same group. I think the duty of these two Turkish teams is to stay in the 8th Finals together. ”
BURSA (İGFA) – FIBA Basketball Champions League (BCL), in the last 16 rounds, Group I ‘ Matching with Hapoel Unet-Credit Holon from Israel, Happy Casa Brindisi from Italy and Pınar Karşıyaka from our country, TOFAŞ General Manager Tolga Öngören evaluated the play-off draws. Making a statement at Tivibu Spor, Öngören emphasized that the Champions League stood by the clubs during the pandemic period and attaches great importance to health and said, “We know that we preferred the Champions League this year after fighting in Eurocup for a long time. Operational viewpoints and power as well as the business plan of the Champions League show how right we make a choice; Standing by the clubs, standing on the side of the players in terms of humanity, attaching great importance to health, and always relieving the clubs in their operations showed us that we are in a really important place. I think the Champions League deserves to be the second cup of Europe with the breakthrough it made this year. ”
Stating that they were in the same group with Pınar Karşıyaka in the last 16 rounds, Tolga Öngören said,“ In this round, every group is difficult, every match it will also be difficult. The nice thing here is that the two Turkish teams are in the same group. I think the duty of these two Turkish teams is to stay in the 8th Finals together. Brindisi is one of Italy’s best teams this year. Holon is one of Israel’s best teams. It would be difficult, but I think our goal should be to stay in Finals 8 as 2 Turkish teams. ”
One of the mid-term goals they set when transitioning to the Champions League is Final 4 or Final 8. Explaining that he wanted to bring him to Bursa, Öngören said, “Final 8 will be played in the city of one of the last 8 teams. The sportive success to be taken in European cups is very important for our club. This will both underline our motto of “basketball city Bursa” and will be an event that will create excitement in the basketball of the country. It was played in Final 4 format before the pandemic, this year it was pandemic so the format was changed to Final 8. When we participate in the Champions League, we have a goal of bringing the Final 4 to Bursa, while making a medium-term plan for here. Of course, there is a sporty side, a business side and costs. We will see if we can do this or not. Obviously, there will be no audience this year, so the revenues of the organizer club will decrease. There must be a business plan here. Do we want this, of course we can. This is one of the goals for us to be in this cup. But of course we have to stay in the last 8 first. “
