Fuente: © FIBA (Federación Internacional de Basket)
http://www.fiba.org/

FIBA - Double joy as Euro teams gain wild cards

/noticias.info/ ROME (FIBA World Championship 2006) - Italy, Serbia & Montenegro and Turkey had two reasons to be happy on Saturday after receiving wild cards from FIBA to play in the FIBA World Championship next year in Japan.

The wild cards also ensured the teams will not have to qualify for EuroBasket 2007.

Puerto Rico received the fourth wild card.

Italy coach Carlo Recalcati said: "From a practical point of view, to play in the World Championship is an advantage, not only because we will play in a prestigious competition, where my team will be able to gain more experience having to play against the strongest teams, but also because it already gives us automatic qualification to the next EuroBasket."

Getting to the EuroBasket is never easy, but reaching Japan was the primary aim for the teams.

Fausto Maifredi, the president of the Italian Basketball Federation, told PA Sport: "We were unable to get direct qualification on the court, but we were convinced that from our recent achievements, we would be given the wild card.

"It is important for Italy to be among the 24 nations to compete in Japan. It is the best basketball competition and it would be very grave had Italy not been there."

Italy won the bronze medal at EuroBasket 2003, and then snatched a silver medal at the Athens Olympics. They lost in the qualifying tournament for the FIBA World Championship, EuroBasket 2005, in the elimination round, which left them needing a wild card.

Gaining experience for the young players is clearly on the agenda for Italy. Stefano Mancinelli was blooded at the EuroBasket. It seems likely that his fellow Climamio Bologna starlet Marco Belinelli will travel to Japan, as well as Benetton Treviso's version of Dirk Nowitzki, the seven-footer Andrea Bargnani who just had his 20th birthday.

"We will go to the World Championship with a team that looks to the future," Maifredi said.

"If there was something that the EuroBasket confirmed, it was that this team needs to be renewed because there are some players who are past their best.

"There will be some of the history-making players who won a silver medal in Athens, but it will be an opportunity for us to show our young players that have improved a lot."

Giacomo Galanda, the Italy captain, knows his place is not secure.

He told PA Sport: "A World Championship has great prestige and it's obvious that I want to be there. But it all depends on how this season goes. I hope to make the team, but if not, I will definitely be pulling for Italy."

FIBA's Central Board considered various criteria before making their decision in Rome on Saturday, where they are meeting to discuss numerous issues.
Maifredi, who is on the Central Board, said of the wild card: "It is a great satisfaction.

Serbia & Montenegro's Basketball Federation (KSSCG) was equally pleased. Its national side has won back-to-back world titles, but recent tournaments have not been kind to the Serbo-Montenegrins.

They were 11th at the Olympics, while this year they hosted the EuroBasket and lost to France in the elimination round.

Predrag Bojic, the general director of KSSCG, said: "I'm satisfied because FIBA decided to stay focused on sport criteria during their decision. This announcement, that Serbia & Montenegro will have a chance to defend the title won in Indianapolis, is an important thing for our basketball, and it is an incentive for us to do more things to put our basketball where it belongs.

"Now, we have to fulfil all obligations we've said we'll do during our candidature for this wild card, and to speak with sponsors as we want to go to the World Championship fully prepared."

Coach Zeljko Obradovic resigned, as did federation president Miodrag Babic.

"Our first task is to choose a new head coach for our senior national team," Bojic said. "We haven't specified a particular date for that, but it's obviously our priority."

The coach of the team in 2002, Svetislav Pesic, told PA Sport he could return to the post but said a better solution is to choose a coach in Serbia & Montenegro.

"In my opinion, the coach should be a professional, who lives in Yugoslavia and who watches Serbian basketball, a coach that would be responsible not only for the senior team but the other youth teams," he said.

Turkey were relieved to receive a wild card. While they reached the final of EuroBasket 2001 as hosts, they have done little since. They were arguably the most disappointing side at the EuroBasket in Serbia & Montenegro, with an overtime win against Bulgaria the only reason they advanced to the elimination round.

Turkey are hosting the FIBA World Championship in 2010, so their wild card status means they now have a chance to build some momentum ahead of that major event.

Turkish basketball federation president Turgay Demirel said on the TBF website: "I hope that playing at the 2006 World Championship will be good for Turkish basketball."

By Jeff Taylor and from Cindy Garcia-Bennett, PA Sport, Rome
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