Chronology of an unexplained pardon: from the party in Athens to Laso's "I never"

• Maccabi An intimate enemy and an untimely casualty

• Laso "We'll see if they come back or not"

On March 30, in the midst of the worst storm of results of the Laso era, three players decided to spend the night partying in Athens.

According to the details that appeared a few days later in the Greek agency SDNA,

returned to the concentration hotel in daylight.

A few hours later, Real Madrid fell against Panathinaikos, the bottom team in the Euroleague.

This extra-sports schism, resolved in an ambiguous and opaque way by the club, has further confused the panorama of a team that as of tonight (9:00 p.m., DAZN) faces its moment of truth, its quarterfinal series against Maccabi Tel Aviv, the old enemy -it is the most repeated duel in the history of the European Cup- that threatens to leave them for the second consecutive season without a Final Four.

There is a very good chance that today Heurtel or Thompkins, or even both, will be short under

's orders just a few days after the coach assured that his decision to remove them was "definitive".

From that revelry in Athens to today's unexplained forgiveness, this is the intrahistory of a crisis, not just of defeats.

Party

It was not the first time that Heurtel and Thompkins had been involved in some disciplinary slip, but the party in Athens, for the time being and due to its form, broke the camel's back with the patience of the Real Madrid leaders.

Some of his teammates even felt disappointed by the attitude of the Frenchman, whose fame preceded him: a year and a half ago Barça had dispensed with his services, with the unfortunate episode at the Istanbul airport, after discovering that he was negotiating behind his back .

The fact is that both played that game against Panathinaikos, even the point guard appeared a few days later in Tenerife, another embarrassing defeat.

Where they were no longer was in the key match against Bayern, also resolved with an incredible comeback from the rival.

Then, on April 8, more than a week after the events, it became known, and not from the club, that Heurtel and Thompkins were out and that Yabusele had been fined.

"A good week"

In the press conference prior to the duel against Bayern, which seemed decisive to finish second in the regular season (and avoid, among other things, a possible clash with Barça in the semifinals of the Final Four), Laso hid the schism before the press.

When asked about his confidence in his players, he replied: "My level of confidence in the team is always the same from September 1 to the end. There may be things that I like more and others less, but I believe in all my players ".

And when this newspaper asked him about the state of mind of the squad, he replied, without blushing: "We got everyone back and it's been a good week for the team so far."

At that time, two of his players were already separated due to indiscipline.

"Definitive decision"

It was in the run-up to the match against Barça, three days later -another defeat-, when Laso already admitted that there were some players outside the discipline of the team.

And he confessed that "the thing with Heurtel and Trey is my decision."

"My obligation as a manager is to identify the problem. The two players no longer train with the team and it is a technical decision. The decision on Thompkins and Heurtel not to return to the team is final."

In that last sentence, two inconsistencies that have later exposed the coach from Vitoria: "Technical decision" and "final decision".

Laso, at the Wizink, after a recent match. EFE

The pardon

Later, Madrid, without the couple, played again (and lost) in Bilbao.

But on Sunday, surprisingly, both Heurtel and Thompkins were, on the street, at the end of the white bench, in the victory (finally) at the WiZink against the Breogán River.

Then, of course, Laso was asked again, and his ambiguity surprised everyone: "It doesn't mean anything. They have never been out of the team, they have been doing specific work. We will see when little by little we reincorporate them if they will play again, or not".

This Monday, in images released by the club, the two exercised with the rest.

"I never"

So, how could it be otherwise given the lack of transparency in the matter, in the preview of the series against Maccabi Laso was asked again about the discord.

Up to four times, because he assured that he had "everyone except Deck" and that on Wednesday he would decide not to give clues to the rival.

"I never said they were out of the picture. There have been several players who have not traveled to the games regardless of their situation, they may or may not be injured. The fact that Heurtel and Thompkins were in the game (on Sunday against Breogán) doesn't change anything. , because they have never been out of the team, they have been training apart and this week they have trained with their teammates".

Only at the end, a nuance in his speech, in which the key may be found.

Laso put a personal pronoun,

first personal singular: "I have never separated anyone, let it be clear".

Her phrase accompanied by an impossible compliment: "The final word is repeated a lot, and they definitely did not play the previous games."

In that I admit that the disciplinary sanction from which they now seem pardoned was taken by the club (

) and that his was, as he has clarified, the "technical decision".

A swing motivated by the contractual situation of both.

In order to remove Heurtel and Thompkins, the club had to terminate his contract, which ends at the end of the year (in the case of the Frenchman, there was an option for continuity).

With both on the payroll and without an explicit disciplinary sanction - how can they be sanctioned and not Yabusele, who also participated in the party? - Real Madrid could not keep them apart without an agreement.

Also the need tightens.

Without

, with the physical problems that

drag on, and with only

as a pure base (Laso has already shown his little confidence in him), not only does the tie against Maccabi seem like a wall, but also the rest of the season.

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