Romanian Basketball Federation is punishing players like in the Stalin era
Romanian Basketball Federation is punishing players like in the Stalin era
The most embarrassing situation in nowadays basketball is happening right now in Romania. The Romanian Basketball Federation is punishing 2 players, Rolland Torok si Aurelian Gavriloaia for not joining the national basketball team this summer in the pre-qualifiers for the FIBA Eurobasket 2021. There are rumors they will be suspended for 4 months (Torok) and 4 games (Gavriloaia) for this “crime”. So, they cannot play for the clubs that pay them in the domestic or European league because they didn’t come to the national team.
But where in the world could this happen? Imagine James Harden or Anthony Davis punished by the NBA because they didn’t join the USA team for the FIBA World Cup. There are 1000 examples of players who declined to play for their national teams for different reasons. No matter the reasons, it’s their private life! The players can have rest in the summer, they can choose to walk with the dog in the park, to study something, to go to Maldive if they want! It’s their choice and nobody can question their freedom! Not even fat stupid bureaucrats who have no idea about what basketball means!
But all these acts of freedom are happening in normal, decent, democratic countries. Romania is the opposite and that’s why millions of Romanian have left the country during the last 2 decades. Because here the remainings of the communist repressive system are hurting people in everyday life, no matter the activities they are doing. Like in the movies with MAFIA, all they want is to punish anybody and the obedience is all they accept. They don’t understand principles like democracy or private life. And the most important thing: they won’t change the system until we will change them, throwing them away.
The case of repression of these 2 young players is just one example of the abuses committed in Romania every single day. The mentality of most of the institutional leaders has remained stuck in a past, not even in the 1990s but in the 1950s. Dictators like Stalin seem to be their idols. That’s why the Romanian Basketball Federation has this wrong idea that they have to make a trial, to question and to punish players who didn’t join the national team. In no civilized country, in the European Union, this kind of absurdity can happen! This simple case is the best proof of the absence of democratic institutions in Romania.
Everywhere in the world, the players have the right to decline or to join (only if they want) the national team. LeBron James said that he wants to spend more time with the family and he declined the invitation to join the USA team, other players said “personal reasons” which are sacred in the modern world! Nobody has the right to ask you about your personal reasons! It’s just your business!
Bureaucrats, create the right path for the Romanian basketball and the results will come. If you will do this, there will be no need to force players to come and represent Romania! And if some players don’t come, there’s no tragedy, you have to accept it and to invite other players to substitute them! INVITE, I said, something that is very strange for your rotten mentality! You know just to order, to punish, to be arrogant but you have to learn to be a dialogue partner, not the staff of the repression camp! If you cannot be a democratic dialogue partner, then leave!
Gratian Cormos
