Richard Schmidt looks at one of the draw balls after rattling it and just before he places it back into the glass container and choosing another.
Bayern Munich accepted the fate that they have to face the three-time German Cup reigning champions Brose Baskets in a bid to reach the BBL Top Four in Berlin in March. But Bayern admitted they were “irritated” with how the draw proceeded.
The names of the six teams who will face off for the final three Top Four spots along with hosts Alba Berlin were concealed in red balls in a pot. Germany’s rowing Olympic champion Richard Schmidt was chosen to select the balls from the pot at halftime of the TBB Trier-Neckar Riesen Ludwigsburg game – as Schmidt is from Trier.
After first drawing Bamberg, Schmidt picked out the next ball, rattled it, looked at it and then put it back in and chose another ball – which ended up being Bayern Munich.
(Schmidt starts drawing Bayern at 2:10 – thanks basketballstream.de’s youtube site)
“We are not talking about the result of the draw. But the manner irritated us. We will review the procedure – until then we can’t give a final evaluation,” Bayern sports director Marko Pesic told the Munich Abendzeitung (AZ) daily.
The AZ inquired with the Beko BBL about the draw and league communication boss Dirk Kaiser – who was on hand at the draw in Trier – told the paper: “We are astounded that the draw of the cup games have resulted in irritation and cannot understand the discussion. The draw took place properly, in public and in front of television cameras … The balls are sight impermeable and identical. In addition, the names of the clubs are rolled up inside.”
The Munich paper noted that a notary was not on hand as is common in draws with the German Football Association. But German laws do not require a notary being on site and depends on the discretion of the league or federations.
The draw for the Top Four qualification went as followed – with the games scheduled for February 5-7.
Brose Baskets – Bayern Munich
Artland Dragons – EWE Baskets Oldenburg
ratiopharm ulm – TBB Trier
The three winners will reach the Top Four in Berlin on the March 23-24 weekend.