Kakha Shengelia and Temur Datikashvili left the board after the end of the board meeting at the Georgian Basketball Federation. Datikashvili is a president of basketball club Vita and Shengelia was one of the vice presidents of the Georgian Basketball Federation and he also resigned from this post.

They are blaming the federation for wasting money.

Shengelia and Datikashvili are demanding to hold extraordinary congress and special election of the federation.

worldsport.ge talked to Kakha Shengelia and the GBF president Mikheil Gabrichidze.

Kakha Shengelia

- How real is your statement which was released by the media today?

- Temur Datikashvili and I finished our partnership with the Georgian Basketball Federation in protest because they are wasting money.

- What money are you talking about?

- I am talking about the agreement with Saski Baskonia and 1 300 000 GEL which have already been spent. According to the agreement, the Spaniards had to take 16 young basketball players from Georgia. These basketball players have been selected after the camp in Tbilisi but only three of them - Bulashvili, Turdzeladze and Darbaidze stayed there. Bulashvili is financed by his father. Turdzeladze and Darbaidze had such horrible conditions that they do not want to go back. Naturally, we have a question where and how this money was spent.

I want to note one thing, Saski Baskonia owns Caja Laboral where my son Tornike plays. So, the federation used Tornike and me as a shield.

- What was the purpose of yesterday’s board meeting?

- The federation makes decisions without the board. Yesterday’s meeting was held after my request.

- Do you have other claims to the federation?

- The board has lost its function. B League games are held without commissars and statisticians in order to save money. The women’s team has only one doctor.

- What are you going to do now?

- I am not going to sue. I will gather the whole basketball family and let them make a decision.

- Are you going to participate in presidential election?

- Of course, I am.

- If the federation does not agree on special election?

- Everything will happen the way the basketball family wants to.

Mikheil Gabrichidze

- Have you read the statement of Shengelia and Datikashvili?

- Yes, I have. I do not understand what money they are talking about. Saski Baskonia and we signed agreement on 300 000 EUR. If this money does not be spent on the Georgian children in Spain, then it will return to the federation. If the Georgian basketball players sign contracts with clubs, the federation will receive 50 per cent of the money.

- Mr. Kakha says the federation does not have a right of commercial activity.

- It is not commerce because money will be spent on the Georgian children.

When basketball club Vita was formed, I heard Shengelia was appointed as a vice president of the club. According to the law, Shengelia who was also vice president of the federation had to reject one of the posts. Now I found out he was working on the both posts. Perhaps, they are offended because Vita wanted to play in Super League without competition. According to the regulations of the federation, every new club must play in A League and then if it deserves, it will be promoted to Super League. So, Vita started playing in A League and lost a decisive game to Cactus. That is why Datikashvili and Shengelia are offended.

- Shengelia and Datikashvili are demanding special presidential election of the federation…

- The next presidential election is scheduled for December 2017.