Basketball:”Very amateurish”: Hoeneß criticizes basketball schedule design

Bayern München’s President Uli Hoeneß has sharply criticised the way in which basketball’s schedules are designed:”Such a plan is very amateurish,”said the 65 year-old in an interview with Munich’s Merkur, referring specifically to the numerous overlaps between the German Basketball League and the Bundesliga.

“You (the basketball players; d. Red.) are basically going to a weekend on which the soccer Bundesliga will also be played,”said Hoeneß and complained:”Last time was the cup final in Berlin – and we played on the same day that the soccer players also played in Berlin. These are things that aren’t professional.”

Hoeneß is also planning to stop the trend towards shorter contract terms and to align with soccer practice,”Many basketball players are like nomads. We have to get away from that. People should feel comfortable, I want satisfied people,”said Hoeneß, a basketball enthusiast.

Hoeneß is hoping for support from other metropolises that are more attractive for players than clubs from smaller cities:”My hope is that one or two big cities will discover basketball for themselves: Cologne or Hamburg, where something is being created. Imagine playing games between Bavaria and Hamburg – that would be a completely different situation.”

The Hamburg Towers and the Rheinstars Köln are currently on a play-off course in the second-rate Pro A.