President of the basketball club CSKA Andrey Vatutin told on “” that due to the case of an American Britney Griner several foreign players refused to join Russian clubs at the last moment.
Greiner was arrested in February last year while attempting to illegally import hash oil through Sheremetyevo airport. On August 4, the Khimki City Court sentenced an American woman to 9 years in a penal colony in a drug trafficking case. In December, the athlete was traded for businessman Viktor Bout, who was sentenced in the United States in 2012 to 25 years on multiple counts.
– When Brittney Greiner was in Russia, there were several cases here and at other clubs, when you agree to sign a contract with a player, then he comes home and his family tells him that he will be imprisoned. And he refuses. It was impossible to explain that Russia is not a place where people are imprisoned like that. Big contracts have been broken.
It makes no sense to throw stones at the backs of those who left, everyone had their reasons. But I want to take my hat off to all the specialists and foreign players who are currently playing in Russia. Money is still money, but the decision to play in Russia is not easy for them, their families and loved ones. Not only do they receive money, but they also rejoice in their skill. These are the players that the spectators turn to, they are great. Many were given the option to leave, but many stayed and extended their contracts. Let’s call them United League Championship patriots,” Vatutin said on .
Live broadcasts of VTB United League matches are available on and other TV channels of the holding, as well as on the websites sportbox.ru and matchtv.ru.
Source : MatchTV
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