By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
With US citizens being called back to the States by the State Department, and EuroLeague teams like Zalgiris Kaunas, Olympiacos, Milan, ASVEL, and Maccabi announcing that players are free to leave for their home countries in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the EuroLeague Players Association expects that the rest of the clubs will follow this example.
As ELPA managing director Bostjan Nachbar said to Eurohoops: “It was good to see, that early in the week some clubs started to allow players to go home. I applaud them. At ELPA, we have suggested to players, that they do not travel unless it is urgent and we were happy to see that many players decided to stay where they are. However, clubs have to understand, that players’ emotions and their personal desires have to come into account, especially at these difficult times. They want to be home. They want to feel safe. There are cases where players are away from their wives and children and in such cases, basketball and business have to take a back seat. I believe there will be time to talk about contracts and salaries, but to reunite players with their loved ones should be a priority. It saddens me that some players still have not received a “green light” from their clubs to go home – or even worse – they do not get an answer at all. Since we live in such uncertain times, where borders are closing and there are less numbers of flights each day, the window of opportunity to go home is closing. That should not happen here. This is not right”.
Considering the fact that there’s not a CBA yet in the EuroLeague, there’s no legal ground for ELPA to interfere in each club’s decision on this matter. However, as Nachbar explained, the association is in constant contact for this issue with all the involved stakeholders: “We are helping the players by continuously addressing this issue with EuroLeague and even directly with some clubs. In some cases, we succeeded. In others, we still try to advise players on how to approach the club and what solutions to look for. Sure, salaries are important, but players right now should not be in a situation where they must choose between meeting their families and professional contract. As I have said, there can be a discussion about finding contractual solutions whether players are home in their countries or in their apartments during lockdowns in European countries. The majority of players are already in their home countries, so it really makes no sense to worry whether they will be able to return or no if season restarts. That moment has passed”.