By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the consequent war still ongoing between the two countries, Russian teams were banned from the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. Among them, there’s CSKA Moscow, whose president Andrey Vatutin addressed the status of current things to Match TV.
First off, he started by commenting on the possibility for his team and countrymen to come back into the competition. “Right now, Russian teams participating in the EuroLeague belong to the world of science fiction or fantasy. It’s pure fantasy. Conditions cannot be ripe to discuss such a thing before the war is over”, he said.
However, CSKA Moscow‘s president also shared that talks are occurring. “My colleagues in the EuroLeague all expressed their sadness about the absence of Russian teams. We continue to be in contact with the EuroLeague as a shareholder of the organization. We are in constant communication, this is very important for us to return to the league when possible in the future”, Andrey Vatutin added.
Having recently played and won friendly games against both Besiktas and Anadolu Efes, he took time to comment on potential financial problems Turkish teams like Efes and Fenerbahce had to face when playing against Maccabi Tel Aviv on neutral venues in Latvia and Lithuania.
“The EuroLeague has problems with politics. Maccabi plays its away matches on neutral grounds, while Efes and Fener had to suffer financial losses by playing their home matches in Latvia and Lithuania. Playoffs are approaching, if Turkish teams match Maccabi, they will lose home advantage and suffer a significant loss of income”, he commented.
Finally, he talked about a potential Dubai team joining the EuroLeague. “I believe that this possibility can raise the level of the EuroLeague. Dubai is not only a rich region but also a major market in the Middle East and Asia. There is potential to attract new audiences and markets. We will discuss this extensively at the shareholder’s meeting in mid-March”, Vatutin concluded.
CSKA Moscow also recently announced the addition of Olivier Hanlan, who was leading the Italian championship in scoring with 18.7 points per game playing with Pallacanestro Varese. To start the season, he also played in the FIBA Europe Cup.
Welcome to CSKA, Olivier Hanlan! 🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/0icLQQWkBi
— CSKA Moscow (@cskabasket) March 1, 2024
PHOTO CREDIT: Turkish Airlines EuroLeague