By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
The decisions of the 18 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague teams regarding the remaining part of the 2021-22 season were announced by Euroleague Basketball on Friday. Home games for Russian sides CSKA Moscow, Zenit Saint Petersburg, and UNICS Kazan will be temporarily moved to neutral venues.
Per the press release: “The 18 teams competing in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, meeting remotely on Friday, have taken the following decisions:
1- To define a plan that temporarily moves all games scheduled to be played on Russian soil to other venues outside of Russian Federation territory.
2- Games involving Russian teams scheduled to be played in non-Russian territory will continue to be played as scheduled.
3- The CSKA Moscow vs. FC Barcelona game that was scheduled to be played on Sunday, February 27, is suspended.
Euroleague Basketball will analyze the different alternatives to implement the decisions and will submit the plan to the ECA Shareholders Executive Board for approval.
The decisions have been taken to protect the integrity of the competition, allowing the teams to continue to defend their right to compete on the court, isolating the sport from any political actions. Likewise, the above decisions are in line with Euroleague Basketball’s ultimate priority, which is its responsibility of protecting the integrity of players, coaches, fans and staff without taking the slightest risk.
Euroleague Basketball will continue to monitor the situation, including any regulations imposed by national and international authorities, and will adopt any necessary changes to the above decisions if needed.
The decisions will be shared with the EuroCup clubs ahead of next week’s games and should be applied to that competition as well.
Euroleague Basketball, on behalf of its clubs, wants to strongly condemn any acts of war as the ones that are sadly happening in Ukraine. The clubs remain united in their purpose of using the power of basketball to unite communities. Euroleague Basketball embraces and celebrates diversity, which is widely present within its communities and at the core of all the teams themselves. Such diversity is understood to be deeply linked to the value of respect, promoting the free expression of different opinions. Violence of any kind is contrary to such values and is neither tolerated nor accepted as a way to defend anyone’s opinion or position.”