Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv to play Euroleague basketball games in Cyprus

Israeli basketball team Maccabi Tel Aviv will play its home Euroleague matches in Limassol, Cyprus Sports Organisation (KOA) chairman Yiannis Ioannou said on Tuesday, following a meeting of stakeholders and an official visit to the city’s Spyros Kyprianou indoor arena. He told the Cyprus News Agency that the meeting had been held by representatives of KOA, the police, Maccabi Tel Aviv and the stadium authorities. This meeting, he said, came after President Nikos Christodoulides, the police, and KOA had all confirmed to Euroleague that the arena could be used by Maccabi Tel Aviv in a letter which was sent last Friday. He said the arena is “ready to use”, and that the installation of “special equipment” required for Euroleague basketball matches will be the responsibility of Maccabi Tel Aviv. Maccabi Tel Aviv’s first game in Limassol, he said, will be played on October 22 against Real Madrid. Meanwhile, the Cyprus News Agency quoted “comprehensive sources” as having said that extensive security measures are expected to be taken in and around Limassol on matchdays. Following their first game in Cyprus, Maccabi Tel Aviv are scheduled to play against Paris Basketball on October 29, Hapoel Tel Aviv on November 12, Olympiacos Piraeus on November 17, Dubai Basketball on November 19, and Zalgiris Kaunas on December 15. After this, however, matters related to security and the organisation of fixtures may become somewhat more complicated, with Maccabi Tel Aviv set to host Turkish outfit Anadolu Efes on December 23, and other Turkish sides potentially set to travel to Cyprus to play Maccabi Tel Aviv thereafter. Anadolu Efes and Fenerbahce will both now play in Limassol Though next year will begin with fixtures against Panathinaikos on January 7, Virtus Bologna on February 7, Barcelona on February 11, Red Star Belgrade on March 9, Lyon on March 11 and Valencia on March 18, a clash of timetables will arrive on April 1. On that day, Maccabi Tel Aviv will host Fenerbahce in Limassol, while the day will be celebrated and observed as a public holiday by Greek Cypriots as the 72nd anniversary of the formation of paramilitary organisation Eoka, which fought to unify the island with Greece. Following that fixture, they will host Partizan Belgrade on April 7 and Kosner Baskonia on April 15 to round off their regular season at home. Should they finish in the top 10 positions in the 20-team league, they will then qualify for the playoffs, which would entail more fixtures in Limassol in April and May. They finished in 12th position last season, but are thus far winless in their first three games this campaign, having been beaten on the road by Panathinaikos and Lyon, while also being beaten by Besiktas in their only home fixture so far, with that match having been played in Belgrade.