Niels Giffey: 'It's right decision not to be in the same place with Russian clubs' / News - Basketnews.com

Credit BasketNews/D.Repečka

Niels Giffey together with Zalgiris Kaunas arrived at the German capital to face ALBA Berlin today, at 20:00 CET.

Niels Giffey

Team:Zalgiris KaunasPosition:SFAge:30Height:201 cmWeight:93 kgBirth place:Berlin, GermanyProfileNewsStatistics

Before the match against his former team, where he spent 7 years (2014-21), Giffey spoke to German media.

Asked about the current situation in the world, the 30-year-old gave the local proximity to the Ukraine war and stressed the Lithuanian people's fear.

"People here (in Lithuania) are generally very critical of Russia and you can tell that there are still big scars from the Soviet era," Giffey said to Tagesspiegel.

"People deal with this issue a lot and the fear is great because Lithuania has a direct border with Belarus. People do not panic, but many of them say, 'So lucky that we are in NATO' - and that even before the Russian invasion of Ukraine."

Giffey also touched on the topic of different sanctions to Russian and Belarusian athletes in the sports community.

The German national team member welcomes the recommendation to exclude such sportsmen and teams from the athletic world in light of the war.

"Sports and cultural events are opportunities to bring people from different countries together. Though, at this moment, the right decision is not to be in the same place with Russian clubs. We can't issue sanctions like this in the European Union and then continue with Russia on a sporting level," finished Niels Giffey.

Subscribe to BN+ and get access to exclusive content.