News and transactions for the 2008/09 BBL season

[Gruebler]

And today Germany's biggest tabloid BILD wrote that on Thursday there's a meeting with the city council's sports guys (and the major Schramma) with "a looming insolvency of Cologne 99ers" on the agenda...

Right now, everybody shouts "crisis". But as long as there's only a first meeting concerning that issue I would not say they're in real trouble.

The bigger issue - not only in Cologne but three or four other BBL cities - is whether the clubs will be able to raise the minimum budget of 1 Mio € for next year. But that's still rumors, too. All 18 clubs and all three potential newcomers from the ProA filed the necessary documents to get a license. The decisions on their financial status should be expected in late April.

[Gruebler]

Germany's leading news website Spiegel Online today confirmed that Cologne 99ers are just some days away from filing insolvency (again). Source (in German).

Out of their small budget which is rumored to be just a bit over a million euro, 600.000 € are missing. Half of this is due to sponsors who just did not pay the promised money.

If a new main sponsor will not appear during the next few days, there wont be professional basketball in Cologne any longer. Player salaries for march were not paid. It is typical for German basketball, that as soon as salaries are not paid the clubs next move is filing insolvency.

Additionally Giants Nördlingen confirmed that they will stopp playing in the BBL next season if they are not able to find a main sponsor until end of May.

There might be some more clubs in similar troubles but there's no official confirmation, yet.