Hapoel Jerusalem blame Israeli league for favoring Maccabi / News - Basketnews.com

Hapoel blame the Israeli league administration for "fatally damaging the team's preparations for the very important game in Basketball Champions League." The Israeli league didn't adjust the schedule, which favors Maccabi.

Credit: FIBA, Tolga Adanali/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Credit FIBA, Tolga Adanali/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Official Hapoel Jerusalem Twitter account posted a thread, where the club accuses the Israeli league of facilitating Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv's schedule and jeopardizing their preparation ahead of the Basketball Champions League (BCL) playoffs Game 1 vs. AEK Athens.

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv / Schedule

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv67-85 Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv Virtus Segafredo BolognaTue16:00 Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv EA7 Emporio Armani MilanThu18:05

According to Hapoel, the Israeli league didn't adjust the domestic schedule, and the Jerusalem team is scheduled to play AEK in less than 48 hours from the local game vs. Maccabi on Sunday.

The schedule could potentially be modified in Hapoel's favor since Maccabi will finish the EuroLeague double-round week on Thursday at home. They would have two days to prepare for the game vs. Hapoel if it is moved to Saturday.

Full Hapoel's statements:

"The league administration made an unfortunate and unjust decision according to which Hapoel Jerusalem's game against Maccabi Tel Aviv will be played on Sunday, April 2nd, less than 48 hours before the critical match against AEK Athens, and not on Saturday night, April 1st. In doing so, the league manager fatally damages our team's preparations for the very important game in Europe.

This needs to be emphasized: in the event of such a conflict, the manager is expected to determine the schedule in such a way that it does not harm a team's preparation for a future game in Europe. Scheduling the game on Sunday, inevitably and seriously harms Hapoel's preparations, while scheduling the game at midnight does not harm Maccabi's preparations for its next EuroLeague game at all.

In the manager's unfortunate decision, she blatantly and unequivocally chooses to favor a team that plays in a European league that does not give the Israeli League a sporting opportunity to send another representative, and on the other hand -- severely harms a team that plays in an Old Continent tournament that glorifies the local leagues and sees their best interests.

Hapoel Jerusalem will not stand by in the face of this humiliating distortion, which tangibly endangers its chances of qualifying for the Final Four of the Basketball Champions League. Following this decision, we submitted a petition to the Supreme Court of the Basketball Association in the belief and hope that it will see the best interests of the league and the best teams playing in Europe."

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