The president of the Lointek Gernika Basketball team, Gerardo Candina, has announced that the team will not play the matches of the Women's Eurocup group phase, the FIBA Women's European Cup, in front of the Israeli team Elitzur Ramla. This was assured by Candina himself to the SER chain, although he has pointed out that it is a personal decision that will value the Board of Directors in the next few days.
“The idea is not to play the game because we are absolutely against the brutal genocide in the Gaza Strip. I think everyone has to realize this and, in this case, that the FIBA acts as it has to act,” said the president in relation to the possible consequences of the FIBA for the decision of the Biscay team.
The Lointek Gernika has achieved its pass to the group stage after winning the Greek team Pas Gianina. Now, in his group he must be measured to the PEC of Hungary and the Sports Union of Portugal, in addition to the Israeli Elitzur Ramla, with round trip matches. That is, Linink Gernika, according to the calendar, should travel to Israel in October and the Israeli team to Gernika in November. We will have to wait for the official decision of the Basque team and, after it, to the FIBA. Already in 2013 they chose to cancel the matches with Israeli teams for security reasons.
However, in the male Euroleague – which does not depend on the FIBA - everything indicates that the meetings with Israeli teams, the Maccabi and the Hapoel will not be suspended for the moment. The calendar marks three Visits of the MacCabi in January, to Barcelona first, Madrid after the end of the month to Valencia. The Vitoria party against Saski Baskonia will be held in April. The Hapoel will be in October in Valencia and then visit Barcelona, Madrid and Vitoria. Félix Fernández, right hand of the president of Saski Baskonia, Josean Querejeta, has stated that the decision is the Euroleague and that, for the moment, nothing has changed. They will play. “Obviously, there is a humanitarian and war situation that crosses certain areas. We are not oblivious to images, violence,” he said.
From the attacks of Hamas in October 2023 that motivated Israel's response in Gaza in the form of 64,000 murders, for the moment, the visits of the Maccabi to Vitoria have been two. In both there have been strong protests and non -lower security measures, with even agents infiltrated in the stands. This happened at the beginning of 2024 and again in 2025. This newspaper could know that the Ertzaintza did not authorize, by “Belicist”, the exhibition of a banner with the slogan 'from the River to the Sea' ('From the river to the sea', in English) and that the access of another poster 10 meters long and 1.8 high with the motto 'Palestine Askatu' ('Libertad for Palestine', in Basque) because only a canvas of six square meters was authorized.