Time passed and the trip arrived. Two months after the Euroleague announced that starting December 1, the two Israeli teams would return to play at home, in Tel Aviv, for almost 800 days due to the Gaza massacre, and it did so surrounded by great opacity. The club decided not to report anything before today’s match (20.05, Movistar) against Maccabi, which will finally be played at the Pais Arena in Jerusalem, and not in Tel Aviv, against a historic team with six European Cups.
It is not a trip that pleases. The club decided not to comment on his movements, where he was traveling from (the last game was in Piraeus, next to Athens, against Olympiacos) or where he was staying, and did not even tweet information on his X account. The preview did not include any allusion to the war, only sporting aspects.
But the club’s owner, Juan Roig, had already spoken weeks before. “We are not happy at all, we are uneasy,” said the businessman. The coach, the veteran Catalan coach, spoke before him. “We are not very calm, the truth is. When we see the news we believe that the situation is not normalized as we would like. So the question I ask myself is: Why is it not safe to play in Israel on November 25 and on December 5 it is? The managers who make the decision, furthermore, do not have to travel. We do. So we are not comfortable with the situation,” he explained at the end of October.
The Euroleague demanded from the two Israeli clubs, Maccabi and Hapoel, a series of measures to guarantee the safety of the teams in Israel. From not having to queue at passport control at airport customs to moving with an escort on all your trips. Neither the organization nor the clubs have wanted to shed more light on this trip that, at least during the regular phase, the other three Spanish teams will not have to make: Real Madrid, Barcelona and Baskonia, who already visited the two Tel Aviv rivals when they were still playing in Belgrade and Sofia. The Catalan club announced on Wednesday that its match against Maccabi, scheduled for January 6, will be played behind closed doors.
The security measures will be extended to the hotel where Valencia is staying and to the match venue, which will ultimately not be the Menora Mivtachim Arena in Tel Aviv, which is not available, but rather the Pais Arena in Jerusalem, about 70 kilometers from the Maccabi headquarters, a pavilion with a capacity for 11,600 spectators located in the Malha neighborhood, in the southwest of the city.
Maccabi has already played a game in Israel, this time in Tel Aviv, when they faced Asvel Villeurbanne on December 11 (92-82 victory). That day, 10,000 tickets were sold and the fans celebrated in style, wearing yellow t-shirts with the motto We’re back in reference to the two years, since October 2023, in which the team founded in 1930 was playing its home games in exile.
Maccabi is the history of the competition (now the Euroleague and before the European Cup) with legendary duels against Real Madrid. Those were the times of Miki Berkovich, Doron Jamchi or the American Kevin Magee. A team with 57 League titles and 46 Israel Cup titles. A group that has just left its exile in Belgrade to return to its country. Their coach, Oded Kattash, celebrated their return the day they faced Asvel in Tel Aviv. “I still have a hard time believing that this is really happening, and that we are returning here, after that terrible October 7 [el día que se produjo el atentado de Hamás]. “We are very excited.”
After the real reunion match with his fans, the Israeli coach reaffirmed his feelings. “It was exciting and special. Two years is an exaggerated number, but it seemed like a lot longer,” he said.
Now it is Valencia Basket’s turn, a team that is where it does not want to be, but cannot afford to lose focus. Pedro Martínez’s team has an excellent record in the Euroleague: on Tuesday they achieved, in Greece, against Olympiacos, their eleventh victory in 16 games, tied with Barcelona and just one behind the leader, Hapoel, the other team from Tel Aviv. Valencia still has its visit to its great rival’s stadium pending (it was its executioner last season in the Eurocup semi-finals), which will take place on February 5.
