Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball players arrive in Cyprus

All non-Israeli players of the Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball team, along with their families, have arrived in Cyprus, president of the Cyprus Basketball Federation Andreas Mouzourides said on Monday.

Mouzourides added that the decision regarding the remaining team members staying in Israel is subject to the Israeli government’s discretion.

He also clarified that, at this stage, there is no question of any Cypriot team competing against Maccabi Tel Aviv.

“For now, we are hosting them,” he said. “We have made arrangements with some gyms and training facilities. The issue is humanitarian. We are at their disposal, and if anything arises, we will respond positively, always in agreement with the government and the police.”

The delegation arrived in Cyprus on Sunday night.

When asked whether other teams had contacted them, Mouzourides mentioned that some other Israeli teams had communicated with Greece.

However, the Maccabi Tel Aviv team, due to their participation in the Neophytos Xandriotis tournament in Cyprus on September 22 and 23, had prior knowledge of Cyprus and established communication directly with the tournament organisers.

Mouzourides further explained that the team manager of the team initially reached out to the players participating in the tournament.

“The first contact was made yesterday morning, and then the team’s president contacted me, and we arranged everything,” he said.

Mouzourides said the federation is prepared to assist in a humanitarian and sporting capacity should the need arise.