By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The matchup featuring CSKA Moscow at home against Turkish Airlines EuroLeague leader FC Barcelona has been suspended, Euroleague Basketball announced Wednesday.
Per the press release: “The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season Round 19 game CSKA Moscow vs. FC Barcelona, originally scheduled to be played on Friday, January 7, has been suspended. Barcelona requested the suspension after several team members tested positive for COVID-19, which leaves the team without the minimum eight players on the Authorization List fit to play.
Following the Special Regulations due to COVID-19, approved by the ECA Shareholders Executive Board, each game can be rescheduled up to three times, if there are available dates. Euroleague Basketball will coordinate with the affected teams the best options to reschedule the games. Alternative dates will be announced on official Euroleague Basketball platforms.”
It was the eighth game of Round 19 pushed back this week due to multiple teams being affected by positive COVID-19 cases. AX Armani Exchange Milan hosting Zenit St Petersburg Friday (20:30 CET) is the only contest remaining according to the initial schedule for Thursday and Friday.
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne against AS Monaco, Real Madrid versus UNICS Kazan, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv meeting Bitci Baskonia, and Crvena Zevzda mts facing Fenerbahce Beko were suspended Tuesday. Three more fixtures were confirmed as postponed Monday with ALBA Berlin taking on Panathinaikos OPAP, Anadolu Efes versus FC Bayern Munich, and Zalgiris Kaunas hosting Olympiacos were previously put on hold.
Round 18 had five games suspended. Starting the concerning trend, one Round 17 fixture has been postponed and rescheduled.