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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Exclusive by Matt Hughes

Sports minister asks questions about British Basketball’s deal

Newcastle Eagles face Sheffield Sharks in the BBL playoffs. Clubs are threatening to set up a breakaway league in defiance of the governing body.
Newcastle Eagles face Sheffield Sharks in the BBL playoffs. Clubs are threatening to set up a breakaway league in defiance of the governing body. Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images/Reuters

The sports minister, Stephanie Peacock, has asked the government body responsible for elite funding, UK Sport, to investigate allegations 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. On their behalf Vaughn Millette, the Sheffield Sharks owner, wrote in February to the government after the BBF had entered exclusive negotiations with Marshall Glickman’s GBB League Ltd (GBBL), to outline their concerns.

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