Βy Niki Bakouli/ bakouli@eurohoops.net
Imagine not that there is no heaven or no hell below us. Let’s focus on the lyric about “there’s no countries” and let’s fit it to our own needs: Could all the national leagues in Europe (or at least those which are playing in Euroleague) function under the same rules?
How would it be not having to do research, so you will be able to understand basic things. Like how many foreign players are allowed in each nation? A simple question which proved to be anything but simple. Come with us to find out why, as in Israel there’s still a strike by the local players who want to reduce the number of foreigners used by the teams.
EUROLEAGUE/ABA/VTB UNITED LEAGUE
There is no restriction to the number of foreign players. The teams can add as many as they like till 24 hours before the jump ball of the Top16. After this deadline, new faces can be signed but are not allowed to play till the day the second round of the Top16 starts. Nobody can make any addition from that moment to the end.
GREECE
Each team can have up to 6 foreign players. Half of them can be non EU citizens. Each team can make up to three changes to its roster during the first round of the regular season and two at the second round, till 24 hours before the tip-off of the play-offs.
Actually, we are talking about substitutions of the players who didn’t conviece thus they got replaced or if a team has more than 6 foreigners, they are able to give and take -for example, Perkins took Gecevicius’ place at Olympiacos’ roster.
They don’t have the right for any other change, even if there is an injury. There is a rule that each team has to finish the season with the same number of foreign players who are playing at the beginning of the second round. Otherwise, they pay a fine for unbalancing the competition. Also a player that had played in Greece can’t be transferred to an other Greek team during the same season.
LITHUANIA
There are basic restrictions on how many foreigners can be registered for a game and in general. Not less than 7 Lithuanians and no more than 5 foreigners in a game. The team can also register a sixth foreigner for an extra 15.000 euros fee, but only up to five can be used at the same game. The teams can register the names of those 5 foreigners just before the jump ball. There can be five foreigners on the court on the same time. There’s also a registration deadline for new players in general, till the 15th of March.
RUSSIA/VTB UNITED LEAGUE
There is a rule, well known as “the Russian rule” which says that at least two Russian players should be on the court from the start till the end of any game. The roster restriction is 6 native players and 6 foreigners, no matter where they are born. The same rule applies also on VTB United League, when two Russian teams face each other. The team rosters should be finalized 10 minutes prior to the tip-off.
From next season, there will be no “Russian rule”, but the Russian league will keep the one about at least 6 Russian players on the 12 men game sheet. The same will apply to VTB United League.
CROATIA
Each team can have up to four non Croatian players on the 12 men roster. But on the court, they cannot have more than one at all times, during the first round and more than two after the teams from Adriatic leaague are joining the competition. Players with a Croatian passport who are playing for other national teams (for example Cedevita’s Ante Masic who plays for Bosnia) are considered foreigners.
GERMANY
Teams with 10 players listed on the game sheet must have 4 German players. Teams with 11 players listed must have 5 German players and teams with 12 players listed must have 6 German players listed. This will be the case till the summer of 2015. There isn’t any restriction for the player used on the court in the BBL. However, there is one at ProA (second division), where you need to have at least two Germans on the court any given moment and in ProB (third division) you have to have three.
Each team (with 12-men gamesheet) can sign more than 6 foreigners, but they have to use up to six in each game. And they have to choose those six before each jump ball.
ITALY
Ιn Italy they have way too many options. First, we have to clarify something. When we say “Italians” they can be players who have grown in Italy’s youth teams -it’s not a necessity to being born in Italy-, or they are players who got the passport as naturalized. Now, here are the options. Each team can choose a) 5+5 (5 foreigners -no matter if they are from EU or outside EU and 5 Italians) on a 10-men gamesheet or 3-4-5 (3 non EU players, 4 EU players and 5 Italians), on a 12-men gamesheet.
Basketball is a pro sport and foreigners from outside EU need work visas. Each team can have a certain number of visas, every season. Τhe Olympic committee is the one who decides about the number.
And for the basketball clubs its better when they choose to have 5+5, not to pick 5 Americans from the beginning of the season. Otherwise, if they need to change a visa, it won’t be possible. The teams can make changes up to 24 hours before the next game and they cannot change anything, after the start of the play-offs. The trades between the teams stop at the end of March. Also, if you like, you can go with 5-5 and then turn to 3-4-5. But only once.
SERBIA
In Serbia, there is a maximum of four foreigners (non-Serbs) and by foreigners, as in Croatia, we also mean the Serbs who are playing for other National Teams.
TURKEY
Six foreigners are allowed on every team’s roster, but they can use up to five on a 12-men game sheet. The “Russian rule” applies to Turkey too. Each team have to have two local players on the court at all times. If Euroleague teams choose to have more than 6 foreigners, they don’t have the right to use the extras in Turkey, after they have chose 6 names, not even when there is an injury. Also, each team can have a naturalized player.
SPAIN
Until the summer of 2011, the rule was that each team must have a minimum of 4 local players, on 11-men game sheet or 5 national players, on a 12-men game sheet. They had the right to sign up to two non EU players.
BUT, there was an anonymous complaint filed to the European Commission, telling this rule was a discrimination against EU players. The EU urged Spain to change the rule and at the summer of 2011, the players syndicate, the league, the federation and the CSD (Spanish Sports Council) changed the concept of a “local player” as following: He can be a player who has grown to the Spanish youth teams (whoever played at least 3 seasons in Spain’s domestic leagues, before he turned 20 years old) or from countries which are associated to Spain. So, each team can have 5 players “formed in Spain”, 2 non EU players and 5 from EU.
ISRAEL
Till further notice, in Israel they have the “Russian rule” (of course with two Israelis on the court at all times). There should be at least 6 Israelis on a 12-men game sheet and up to 6 foreigners (from EU or outside EU, it’s the same).
The Israeli players want to sign a 3-year deal with the league administration with the rules allowing each team to have up to 4 foreigners. After these 3 years, they wants the foreigners further reduced to 3 (on each club). The BSL offers a reduction to 5 foreigners. And after they didn’t reach a deal, the league games are still postponed.
After all that, you must thing that you do need to have a national flavor to your league, right?