By John Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Maccabi’s issues with the Winner League management got to a new chapter on Wednesday night. The League’s CEO Shmuel Frenkel had some harsh comments on Nikola Vujcic’s interview on Sports 5 television station. He attacked the former player because he’s a “a foreign GM on an Israeli team.”
“When an Israeli team hires a foreign GM, he may be insensitive to the Israeli League or Israeli players. But Winner League is still the basis of Israeli Basketball. You have to explain to him that Maccabi is an Israeli team that plays in Europe and not a European team that plays in any country in the Middle East” Frenkel wrote through his Twitter account.
Maccabi’s camp was furious at Frenkel’s statements and 40-year-old Vujcic himself replied through Twitter: “It’s sad to see the Winner League’s CEO attack the manager of the biggest team in the League just because he’s a foreigner. It’s a disgrace to Israeli sports and Israeli basketball and you should be ashamed”.
He went on: “Maybe you should focus on what you do best, help other teams pass rules that no other league in the WORLD has and that have one purpose only (like you told me YOURSELF) – to weaken Maccabi. This you do very well!”.
Later on, Maccabi explained via announcement that is there is no room for racist expressions, especially in Israel.