By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Israeli national team coach Oded Kattash filed a lawsuit against the Israeli Basketball Federation alleging that he was unilaterally furloughed without pay when the coronavirus crisis broke out, according to a report by Sport 5. Kattash, who is also the coach of Hapoel Jerusalem, claims an amount of approximately 290,000 Israeli shekels (around 75,000 euros) as compensation for a “serious breach of contract.”
Kattash’s side says that the Federation’s actions are illegal since there were no national team activities between February 2020 and November 2020 thus the coronavirus pandemic didn’t affect his job. He mentions that he was still working on national team related things during that period and was notified that he’s furloughed via an email that was sent to an address he doesn’t use.
The Israeli Basketball Federation issued a response, saying that 530 of their employees were furloughed due to the crisis that affected the entire Israeli economy. The workers include referees coaches like Kattash. “We are sorry that Kattash, who received the most prestigious appointment in Israeli basketball from the Federation and the best conditions that a national coach ever had, chose to take legal action and give it to the public while meetings between the two sides were held to reach an understanding.”