By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
After the change of leadership in the Russian basketball federation with elections coming in the 2nd of August, a lot of things also changed in the national team of the country, specially concerning Greek coach Fotis Katsikaris. On Friday, Katsikaris decided to resign by sending a letter addressed to the temporary president of the Federation Yulia Anikeeva.
The letter is the following :“When I was working in my plans to achieve our common goals in the 9th of July you called me and told me that the members of the temporary administration of Russian basketball federation wanted to meet me the next day. I responded immediately and in the 10th of July I traveled to Moscow, only to hear from you and the members of the committee that you want to release me in order to hire a Russian coach. I was shocked by that meeting and I left with negative feelings. However, when you called me again on the 15th of July and asked me to stay I decided that the effort would be worthy in order to continue my work with the Russian national team. It’s obvious to me that you are trying to diminish my reputation as a person and as a professional and create obstacles in my work. In your interviews, you mentioned “financial problems” more than once, despite the fact that I can easily prove that wasn’t a problem for me, since I accepted your proposition to delay my monthly payment for at least one month. With all due respect to the great Russian basketball and also to the reasons that I decided to be the Russian national team coach, I inform you that I prefer to leave, in order to facilitate your plans. I want to wish the team good luck and the best possible result under the current conditions”.
Τhe Russian federation with an official statement in its website disagrees with Katsikaris, but it’s obvious that the new regime preferred a Russian coach who will be former player Vasily Karasev, fresh from his coaching triumph with the Russian team in the recent Universiade games. Τhe training camp of the Russian national team for the upcoming Eurobasket starts on Monday (22/7).