By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
EuroLeague announced on Thursday (April 23) the agreement with ELPA regarding the contracts and salaries as well as the decision on the date by when it will have to be known if the 2019-20 season will resume.
May 24 was set as the last day for the big decision and while there is a month more to go until then, not everybody has been optimistic. Promitheas Patras coach Makis Giatras told Eurohoops that while he wishes for a return to the court, in his opinion, it might not be doable so soon.
“I wish we could do that and be able to play, but it’s very difficult. It will be a pleasure to finish on the floor, where we started, but it is important to get rid of the pandemic. To get to May 24 and I wish everything goes well. Of course, we want to finish on the pitch, but we don’t know if the teams will be the same in terms of their situation and their roster. We see that people are dying in America. Nothing has been clarified. I hope that everything goes well and that we finish at the arena, where we started.”
EuroLeague was clear on their intent to finish the season if the health status allows it, and that includes EuroCup which would be played out between 4-17 July. However, Giatras noted that patience is required and nobody should get ahead of themselves:
“As I said, let’s get rid of it (pandemic) first. We will see about everything else. We see that the Euroleague wants the championship to be played in one way or another. If everyone is healthy, well done. But let’s not say things without tangible data. The deadline is May 24, which means we have one more month. Players and coaches want to finish the year on the field, as long as they are healthy and their health is not endangered.”