EuroLeague has to find a solution for the game Darussafaka – Virtus Bologna!
As the Turkish government is thinking that Coronavirus has no right to cross borders without a permit, Virtus Bologna cannot come to play the game in Istanbul against Darussafaka. It is the last round of the Eurocup and Virtus has a big chance to qualify. If they would be allowed to play. I understood that flights cannot arrive from Italy to Turkey, but not even a bus with 12 players? So, actually, nobody can come from Italy to Turkey at the moment. Ok, but then how the Euroleague and Eurocup board is thinking to solve the problem?
If Virtus Bologna who is not allowed to come to Turkey will loose with 0-20 the encounter it will be the most absurd situation in the history of basketball competitions. Will the organizers be able to find a simple solution good enough for both squads? Euroleague simply has to care more about a club who invested a fortune this season to reach out the European glory. A club that have switched the Basketball Champions League to participate in Eurocup. And now all that the Euroleague can say is: do what you want, but I want to see you on the court or you will lose the game?
This cannot be true and I hope that Euroleague board will find quickly a solution to organize the game in a neutral country. There are many cities in the area that would be happy to host that do-or-die game. And nobody is afraid that Virtus Bologna can bring Coronavirus in the country. One of the best location to postpone the game could be BT Arena from Cluj-Napoca, Romania that has 10 000 seats and was one of the host cities of the Eurobasket, back in 2017. The location of the city is perfect because there are direct flights from Bologna and Istanbul to Cluj-Napoca.
Photo: Eurocup
Gratian Cormos
