Minister seeks inquiry into British Basketball's ‘potentially criminal' deal
The sports minister, Stephanie Peacock, has asked the government body responsible for elite funding, UK Sport, to investigate allegations of unlawful tender made against the British Basketball Federation. On Wednesday, the BBF signed a 15-year agreement with an American consortium to operate a new men's professional league from 2026.
The existing nine Super League Basketball clubs are deeply unhappy with the BBF's plans for the sport. The Sheffield Sharks owner, Vaughn Millette, wrote to the government on their behalf in February after the BBF had entered exclusive negotiations with Marshall Glickman's GBB League Ltd (GBBL), to outline their concerns.
In a reply seen by the Guardian, Peacock describes the issues raised in the letter as varying between 'serious' and 'potentially criminal' and that Department for Culture Media and Sport officials will ask UK Sport to investigate.
The allegations are understood to revolve around the legality of the BBF's tender process for operating the new league. SLB had been expected to make a bid to run the league itself, but club sources say they were advised not to on legal grounds.
'Some of the matters you raise in your letter are serious and some are potentially criminal in nature,' Peacock wrote in response to the clubs' concerns. 'The Code for Sports Governance sets out the mandatory governance requirements for organisations receiving public funding from UK Sport or Sport England. DCMS officials will raise the concerns you have set out to UK Sport and Sport England to ensure all of the processes under the Code are being complied with.'
The BBF confirmed the new deal with Glickman's group on Wednesday morning, igniting a civil war in the sport that could jeopardise some of the £4.75m in public money basketball receives each year from UK Sport and Sport England, which are responsible for elite and grassroots funding respectively.
In response Super League Basketball released a statement in which it threatened to set up a breakaway league in defiance of the governing body, and accused the BBF of running an illegal tender process.
'The new league operator proposed by the British Basketball Federation has no clubs, fans, arenas or expertise to build the infrastructure and future that British basketball and its communities deserve,' an SLB spokesperson said. 'Super League Basketball (SLB) has been clear from the outset that the tender process undertaken by the British Basketball Federation (BBF) was illegal and unjust.
'SLB would like to make clear that it does not legally require the BBF licence to continue to operate the professional basketball league in Britain. SLB clubs and their owners have worked tirelessly and invested well over £15m this season alone to create a sustainable future for professional basketball in Britain, its fans and the communities it serves. All nine partner clubs are united in the vision to continue operating a stable and viable league for the 2025-26 SLB season and beyond.'
The British Basketball Federation declined to respond or comment, but has consistently denied claims it has acted improperly and views the backlash as sour grapes from clubs who will no longer be in control of the league.
In announcing the deal, the BBF chair, Chris Grant, said: 'We're delighted to welcome GBBL to the British Basketball family. The award of this licence not only heralds the biggest ever level of financial investment into the league, it also brings the knowhow, connections and vision to excite those who already love the game and to attract new fans and participants.
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'The GB women's and men's teams have both qualified for Fiba EuroBasket this summer, and our progress on the court will be boosted through the LA Olympic Cycle funding recently announced by UK Sport. To have booming professional leagues which enable our top players to compete in front of British fans, week in and week out, is just what we need in order to fulfil British Basketball's huge potential.'
In her letter to the clubs, Peacock suggested appointing an independent mediator if there was insufficient evidence to warrant a criminal investigation into the agreement.
'Should none of the issues you raised be an issue for the police, and should UK Sport and Sport England set out that they do not have subsequent concerns about the BBF's governance, DCMS cannot get involved in commercial disputes between two private parties where there is no criminality and where there has been no misuse of public funds,' the sports minister wrote.
'Were this to be the case and no agreement between the SLB and BBF is reached, then we suggest that both parties enter independent arbitration. We hope that everyone would agree that the survival of a sustainable professional league is the priority and best outcome for the future of basketball in this country, from the elite level to the grassroots game.'
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