EuroLeague issues €20,000 fine for Efes / News - Basketnews.com

Anadolu Efes Istanbul's Turkish players were kept from playing and had to practice multiple times a day, which violated Clause 13 of the EuroLeague Framework Agreement between the league and ELPA.

Credit: IMAGO/kolbert-press - Scanpix Credit IMAGO/kolbert-press - Scanpix

The EuroLeague has fined Anadolu Efes Istanbul €20,000 for not complying with the players' agreement during the double round last week.

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The Turkish club left their local players in Istanbul during the double week and held additional practices throughout the days while the other players competed in the EuroLeague.

This violated Clause 13 of the EuroLeague Framework Agreement between the league and the EuroLeague Players Association (ELPA):

The second daily basketball practice of the day is not allowed when the team has two or more official games per week. In case of less than two games per week, a second daily basketball practice may only take place once a week.

Head coach Ergin Ataman criticized the decision after a Turkish Basketball League (BSL) game on Sunday.

"Only players who are out of shape need to work harder. This is the rule of the sport. Athletes cannot keep their form without practicing," the coach told. "The players that didn't play in the EuroLeague this week were kept in Istanbul and followed an intense training program."

"However, there are those who are disturbed by it. Especially the EuroLeague Players Association was very disturbed. They opened an investigation against us for keeping these players here," Ataman revealed.

This week, Efes are welcoming Olympiacos Piraeus in Round 11 of the EuroLeague.

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