Holon's chairman attacks FIBA: 'We won't play in Athens even if they force us' / News - Basketnews.com

Holon's chairman, Eitan Lanciano, said that FIBA's decision to host the club's games in Athens was unilateral and that the team would not play there even if it was forced to. He attacked FIBA for their refusal to acknowledge the victims of the war in Israel early on and weighed in on the supposed return of the Israeli Basketball League.

Credit: IMAGO/Jörn Wolter - Scanpix Credit IMAGO/Jörn Wolter - Scanpix

On November 1st, FIBA announced that Hapoel Holon would play their home matches in the Basketball Champions League (BCL) in AEK Athens' Ano Liosia Olympic Hall in Athens. The club's chairman, Eitan Lanciano, now says that the decision was unilateral.

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45%75,0Points made:75,0Accuracy:45,0%Place in standings:23Record max:75Record min:75Best scorer:C.J. HarrisTeamBCLStatisticsSchedule

FIBA declared that the decision to hold the games in Athens was "jointly reached" between the club and the Hapoel Holon organization. In aninterview with Arale Weisberg from Walla Sport, Lanciano said that the league did not communicate its decision with Hapoel Holon and released the announcement without proper consultation.

"The Israeli Basketball Association was asked to help teams from Israel, not just us, and contacted all kinds of associations in Europe. At that time, the Greek Federation was the only one that considered and agreed to take over the hosting and security. That was it. FIBA immediately issued a statement that we would play in Ano Liosia without anyone asking us or being interested in our opinion," the chairman said.

"AEK tried to be nice to everyone and immediately issued its own message, in which it reminded the fans that it has supported the Palestinians over the years. I'm sure that the majority of the audience there is not interesting [to them] in this situation, but as it happens in other places, the voice of the militants sounds," Lanciano declared. "That's what we heard. There was no direct connection between the two clubs, and not a word was said between us."

In fact, AEK Athens did release an official statement where the club highlighted its support for refugees, naming multiple cases when the club helped both Palestinian fans and teams. With the war in Israel going on between the local forces and a Palestinian terrorist group, Hamas, for almost a month, it is understandable how that statement might have been seen in the eyes of the Israeli team.

Multiple AEK fans retaliated against the FIBA's decision to hold the Israeli team's games in their favorite club's home court. Last season, the Greek club was handed a severe suspension by the BCL after attacks on Israeli supporters when Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem played a game there.

"As soon as they sent me all the angry messages from the Greeks, and certainly, after what happened on this court to Hapoel Jerusalem last season, I said it last week already, 'Even if they force us, no, we will not play there,'" Lanciano said.

Asked how and why FIBA announced the decision to host Holon's games in Athens, Lanciano couldn't answer.

"I don't know because they didn't talk to us," he said. "Perhaps it was convenient in light of the fact that it's a court that is already branded with all the symbols and signs of the Champions League."

Holon is currently considering Riga, Latvia, as the top option for hosting home games.

While multiple leagues and basketball clubs around the world, especially in the NBA, expressed their support for Israeli victims, FIBA was one of the latest international organizations to acknowledge the casualties.

"It's strange, but it is their top priority. It's less important to them who is killed here and who is killed there. They want to be nice to everyone," Lanciano said. "In Israel's case, it didn't work out so well for them."

Multiple Israeli teams have already withdrawn from international competitions due to difficulties in hosting their games. The Hapoel Holon organization doesn't think about withdrawing from the competition despite the multiple hurdles it faces to compete.

"It's something that came up at the beginning, but it was struck down in the same breath," Holon's chairman shared. "We understood that this would not be the right thing to do and that it would harm the status we have built as a club in Europe and Israel."

Despite the ongoing war, the Israeli Basketball League has already declared a date when the competition is expected to return. However, Lanciano doesn't think it will happen, and if it does, a completely different system has to be put in place than what is currently present.

"Once the teams ask the foreigners to return, we will get the real picture of the situation. It's fine to set a date, but if only 20 out of 70 foreigners return, how will we play?' he said. "If there is one team, which does not have a lot of Israelis, and only one foreigner agrees to return, what kind of competitiveness will there be? We may have to think of a format that everyone can live with."

"If a player makes a million dollars, maybe he will take a risk. But if he earns 100-120 thousand dollars? I wouldn't risk it if I were him, Lanciano said. "The financial agreements with the betting companies and the broadcasters are less important at the moment."

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