By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Cuban shooting guard Karel Guzman was at the center of attention for all the wrong reasons in U-BT Cluj-Napoca’s most recent showing in Romania’s Liga Nationala.
A player carrying plenty of experience at the international level with his country and based in Romania at the club level for the last couple of seasons. Apart from Romania’s top division, he competed in the Basketball Champions League last season and moved with the Cluj-Napoca outfit to 7DAYS EuroCup for the ongoing 2022-23 season.
Guzman, 28, was ejected after a fight broke out with players from both teams leaving their respective benches. His side eventually lost, 82-74, to CSM Oradea Saturday.
Following the game, the Cuban player retrieved a metal pipe from a construction site nearby Oradea Arena. And he attempted to bring it into the venue, as displayed in the following video. Teammate Andrija Stipanovic stopped him before he made matters even worse.
“I deeply regret the way I acted and want to apologize to my club, my teammates and everyone who was there. My behavior was unacceptable and I understand that it does not reflect the values of our team and basketball,” Guzman apologized via a post shared on Instagram.
“I want to be clear that I was challenged by an opponent and a member of their staff during warmups, but that is no excuse for my actions,” he added, “As a professional basketball player, I understand that I have a responsibility to remain calm and behave respectfully. always. In this situation, I let my emotions take over me. I became a person I didn’t recognize.”
The reigning champions in Romania released a statement refuting rumors of Guzman being known for such reactions. “To our knowledge, the player Karel Guzman has no previous history of violence and has always expressed a responsible and respectful attitude within our team,” was a part of the press release.
Photo Credit: EuroleagueBasketball.net