LONDON (Reuters) -The British Basketball Federation has been suspended by the sport’s world governing body and its men’s team barred from international competition because of governance issues, FIBA announced on Wednesday.
A task force was set up in August by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) to investigate “regulatory non-compliance” within British basketball after a power struggle between the BBF and Super League Basketball.
The BBF awarded a 15-year licence to run a new professional men’s competition – the Great Britain Basketball League – to GBB League Ltd (GBBL) in April, a consortium led by the American businessman Marshall Glickman.
However, the nine clubs who set up Super League Basketball, after the collapse of the British Basketball League in 2024, refused to join, claiming the tender process run by the national governing body was an abuse of its dominant position.
The BBF denied the claims, saying it had only granted an ‘interim licence’ to Super League Basketball to bridge the gap until the award of a long-term licence.
“For this reason the interim licence included an express right for the BBF to terminate it after one year,” the BBF said in a statement earlier this year.
The FIBA statement said it had imposed the measures on the BBF after a comprehensive review of the situation, including interviews and meetings with basketball stakeholders.
“These measures aim to restore regulatory integrity and promote sustainable governance of men’s basketball in Great Britain as soon as possible,” it said.
Under the terms of the suspension the BBF will not be permitted to license or recognise national men’s competitions, or field a men’s national team in FIBA senior competitions.
The British men’s home game on November 27 in London will not go ahead and the team will not participate in this window’s away fixtures. The BBF added that the suspension does not affect the women’s national team and upcoming fixtures.
“We understand the disappointment that players, staff and fans alike will be feeling,” BBF interim chair Grace Jacca said in a statement. “Our immediate priority is to continue working with our key stakeholders to maintain stability while contributing constructively to the process with FIBA.”
The Super League Basketball season began in September.
Super League Basketball have been approached for comment.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Toby Davis)
