By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Lorenzo Brown received his Spanish citizenship Tuesday in order to debut with the nation’s senior team at the 2022 EuroBasket in September, though this move has caused a reaction by the Spanish Players Union (ABP).
The ABP has made an announcement expressing their discomfort after granting a passport to a player “without any roots in Spain” and explained that this has a “negative impact” on Spanish players.
ABP’s statement reads:
“With the express Spanish nationality of a player without any roots in Spain, the message that is sent to national players is very harmful and has a negative impact on both the present and the future. Is it credible that the current world champion team does not find Spanish players with whom to compete in the highest international level events?
The illusion of any player in the training categories of the clubs and the Spanish Basketball Federation is to be able to one day play with the senior National Team. This legitimate hope is frustrating when the Federation and the National Sports Council favor the granting of legal but ethically reprehensible passports.
The ABP has systematically denounced for many years the normalization of marriages of convenience and passports from other countries using the same system now used by the Federation and the National Sports Council.
This type of action dynamites the expectations of the players, alienates the fans, and eliminates the sporting merit that allows one to dream of playing for the National Team.
It is devastating to see how each season the number of national players in the professional squads of our competitions decreases, even in training categories.
The Spanish players have talent and have been showing it for many years, but to develop and exploit it they need opportunities in their clubs and of course in the Spanish Federation. We resist condemning the future of many players who aspire to play for the National Team in this way.”