By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Johannes Voigtmann was among the six players to have fleed CSKA Moscow this week, in the wake of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine. The German forward explained his decision behind leaving the team, the process of leaving Moscow, and his future plans, in a recent interview with kicker.de.
“Last Thursday, like everyone else, we were surprised by the terrible news about the war that Russia had started in Ukraine. After a day or two of reflection, the decision was made that I didn’t want to stay in Moscow”, explained Voigtmann about his decision to leave the club.
“In the current situation, I can’t agree to hold competitions for a Russian team, where, in the end it’s about winners and losers. Even if it’s just about basketball, it involves symbolism that I don’t think is appropriate at the moment. The Russian President is responsible for a brutal war of aggression that is causing innocent people to die in Ukraine, millions of people having to flee their homeland, and children, in particular, losing their homes or even their lives. I just couldn’t stay in Russia and carry on as if nothing had happened, especially since you don’t know how the situation there will change. I wouldn’t have felt safe in the overall context either”, Voigtmann further mentioned.
The German international further commented on his contract with the Russian club, hoping for an agreement/resolution to be reached soon.
“Contractual things have to be clarified, I’m still under contract with CSKA until summer 2023,” he said. “Of course, I would like to play again as soon as possible, also because of the European Championships at home. By then I want to be in top shape again. Hopefully, there will soon be a good opportunity to join, even if the change period has already expired in some leagues”.
“It’s difficult, even if the war hopefully ends soon, not everything is suddenly going back to normal. My agent is therefore trying to find a good solution for my contractual situation with the CSKA managers. However, there is no precedent for the current situation, this is new territory for everyone”.
It should be noted that veteran guard Daniel Hackett left CSKA this week and two days ago he officially joined Virtus Bologna with a deal through 2024, while teams around Europe are keeping an eye on CSKA players which have also left the team.
Voigtmann also described the process of leaving Moscow and Russia, a long journey with many stops.
“Because most of the airspace for Russian airlines was already closed on Sunday and I wanted to take as many important things with me from the apartment as possible and also had the dog, the only option left was the car.”, he said. “I packed it, tried to sort out as many things as possible with the apartment and the rest of our household effects, and after a final team meeting on Sunday, I drove towards the Latvian border with the dog in the passenger seat. At first it was eight hours almost straight through barren landscapes”.
“Shortly before the Russian border my pulse started to rise a bit because I didn’t know what to expect there. Except for the fact that I had to clear out the whole car and the border officials looked in every suitcase, everything went relatively smoothly. After a break, I then drove on to Lithuania, where I made a short stop in Kaunas with my former teammate Janis Strelnieks. Then we went home via Poland, in the end, it was about 2,500 kilometers.”
However it was to be noted, that the German big has only good things to say about CSKA: “I know about the history of the club, but there is no longer any connection to the army. The basketball club uses the abbreviation CSKA only as a brand because of its popularity. I would also like to thank those responsible in CSKA. I was able to have open discussions with them over the weekend and they showed understanding for my decision. They didn’t put any obstacles in the way of me and the other players who left. It is my impression that no CSKA official I spoke to supports this war. On the contrary, like all Russian sport, they and the club are suffering from the current situation. Even if there is currently no alternative to excluding Russian athletes and teams, I personally feel sorry for the people and colleagues with whom I have worked well for two and a half years”.