The British Basketball Federation has been suspended by the global body Fiba and the British men’s team banned from international competition in a dramatic move that has put the sport’s funding under threat.
The Guardian has learned that Fiba has had talks with UK government officials about the suspension, which is likely to have implications on the government’s financial support for British basketball to the tune of £4.75m over the next four years.
Fiba’s bold step is the latest development in the civil war that has engulfed British basketball this year. Stephanie Peacock, the sports minister, had discussions with UK Sport in April outlining concerns about British basketball’s governance.
All organisations seeking government or national lottery funding must comply with UK Sport and Sport England’s code for sports governance. It sets out minimum standards regarding transparency, accountability and integrity. UK Sport is responsible for funding elite sport, with Sport England in charge of grants to the grassroots.
Fiba’s decision follows its creation of a taskforce in August to investigate a series of governance issues related to the BBF awarding a 15-year licence to run a new professional men’s competition, the Great Britain Basketball League, to a consortium led by the American businessman Marshall Glickman. The existing nine Super League Basketball clubs are refusing to join the new league, claiming the tender process was unlawful, and have launched legal action against the BBF in the high court.
Fiba’s suspension is the first of a national governing body since Russia and Belarus were kicked out three years ago in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine.
In a statement, Fiba said: “Following a comprehensive review of the situation, including interviews and meetings with basketball stakeholders, the taskforce has submitted its recommendations to the Fiba executive committee, which decided today as follows:
“To temporarily suspend the British Basketball Federation’s authority to licence or recognise national men’s competitions and to field a men’s national team in Fiba senior competitions, pending resolution of the current governance issues.
“To authorise the taskforce to engage directly with basketball stakeholders and the UK government to explore and propose an interim operational framework for the top-tier men’s national competitions. These measures aim to restore regulatory integrity and promote sustainable governance of men’s basketball in Great Britain as soon as possible.”
Fiba’s move casts further doubt over the GBB League, which had already announced a delay to its initial launch date by 12 months until September 2027 to align with the possible launch of NBA Europe. The new venture does not have any clubs, venues or commercial partners.
The immediate future for the Great Britain men’s team is also uncertain, with a World Cup qualifier against Lithuania due to take place next month now in doubt.
In another recent development, Chris Grant resigned on Sunday as the BBF chair, citing personal reasons. Grant and the BBF declined to comment.
