Domestic leagues in various sports have found themselves in a difficult position in recent months.
Many Europeans who previously performed in Russia are trying to leave it because of pressure at home.
And potential newcomers refuse to come.
In some countries, they do everything to make it difficult for their athletes to contact our clubs.
So, the most severe verdict was issued by the French Basketball Federation.
They adopted a resolution that actually closes the road to Russia for players playing for the local team.
According to him, athletes and coaches who have signed contracts with Russian or Belarusian teams will be deprived of the opportunity to go to the floor in the tricolor.
The restriction is valid until FIBA lifts the ban on participation in tournaments under its auspices for teams from these countries.
And we are talking about both future agreements and existing ones.
In order to additionally play it safe, the organization will sign appropriate obligations with the basketball players.
Violators will lose their chances to qualify for future international competitions, including the 2024 Olympic Games.
The decision is especially relevant in light of the fact that the other day, the tricolors began training on the eve of the next qualifying matches for the 2023 World Cup and EuroBasket.
Just shortly before the imposition of sanctions, two Frenchmen joined the rosters of Russian clubs at once.
CSKA was strengthened by Jean-Charles Livio, and UNICS - by Louis Labery.
The latter can suffer the most in this situation.
The 30-year-old striker regularly received calls to the national team, and in 2019 he became the owner of the bronze award of the world championship with her.
True, the owner of the Eurocup was not the main one in it.
For example, at the aforementioned 2019 World Cup, he spent an average of only 9.4 minutes on the floor.
However, the coaching staff counted on the player.
And in qualifying for the 2023 World Cup, given the lack of NBA stars, it’s hard to imagine the national team without Labery.
He not only took part in all six matches of the tournament, but also played the most (129 minutes and 29 seconds).
He is also on the second line in terms of the number of points scored (66).
Louis did not receive a call for the August training camp, and neither did Livio.
It is likely that in the current situation he will have to leave Russia.
UNICS President Evgeny Bogachev said that he would be sympathetic to the decision of the basketball player to leave.
“We make visas for everyone, they must be with us in Kazan.
If it does, we can do without Louis.
Will he leave the club because of this decision?
Anything can happen.
Nothing, let's go.
This is an Algerian French.
It would be nice, of course, to have him on the team, but okay.
Do not worry!
Where can I go on worrying, ”Bogachev emphasized.
But CSKA is unlikely to lose Livio, since, although he was noted in the French national team, he had not received invitations there for a long time and did not play in the 2023 World Cup qualification.
But Tom Ertel will have to seriously think about his future.
The ex-defender of Barcelona and Real Madrid terminated the agreement with Madrid in the summer due to a violation of the regime and, according to media reports, was supposed to join the current champion of the VTB United League Zenit as a free agent.
But now the 2020 Olympic silver medalist and 2013 European champion will have to make a difficult choice.
Judging by the fact that the basketball player arrived at the training camp of the national team, he has already done it.
Otherwise, Ertel risks losing the opportunity to play for the tricolors.
If France was the first to introduce a ban of this kind, then in other countries there were tacit restrictions.
So, at the end of March, Jonas Jerebko was banned from playing for the Swedish national team after moving to CSKA.
In the local federation, the verdict was explained by the fact that the act of the veteran who spent ten seasons in the NHL is contrary to the "values of Swedish basketball."
Despite this, the 35-year-old forward spent the rest of the season in the army camp.
And they went the furthest in the women's NBA, where they completely forbade their basketball players to sign agreements with domestic teams.
This is due to the trial of two-time Olympic champion Brittney Greiner.
In the world of domestic basketball, the tough decision of the FFBB was met with bewilderment.
For example, the head of the coaching council of the RFB, Stanislav Eremin, called it discrimination against athletes.
“It is wrong to dictate to a person that he should play here and go there.
You see, everything is done in order to humiliate and squeeze us, to limit resources.
I think they will not succeed, although here the decision is personally up to the players and coaches who can come to us in Russia, ”the Sport-Express specialist quotes.
According to the winner of the world and European championships Vitaly Nosov, sports should be separated from politics, and ordinary athletes should not suffer because of such restrictions.
“Such things are no longer surprising.
I hope this madness ends someday.
For example, in Poland, people who perform in Russia are subject to similar sanctions.
There are no more Balts left in the VTB United League.
The question is, why is France worse?
Everyone is going crazy now.
The main victim could be UNICS, which has just signed Labery.
Probably, all that remains is to survive it, ”Nosov said in a commentary on RT.
As a reverse example, he cited the American UFC and NHL, where representatives of all nationalities calmly perform and do not impose any restrictions.
“No one stopped Alexander Ovechkin, a member of the Putin team, from becoming one of the best scorers in league history.
The man brings fame to Washington and earns money for the club.
In the US, they are well aware that it helps to get big incomes.
I don’t understand at all why sport should become a bargaining chip, ”added Nosov.
In turn, commentator Vladimir Gomelsky suggested that the French basketball players themselves and the local national team could suffer from the ban in the first place.
“The law is not written for fools.
If Labery is the strongest, and, for example, he is not called, they will punish themselves.
True, you can’t say the same about the French team.
They have, for example, Rudy Gobert.
Can Labery leave?
He signed a contract.
You have to pay a penalty.
I don’t know who his agent is, but I think they calculated everything well there, ”Sport-Express quotes the journalist.