Outbreaks appear to be exacerbated throughout Europe due to the Omicron mutation. Euroleague could not be an exception. After the massive postponements of matches, five in total in the 18th matchday, the Euroleague is obliged to revise the protocol which the teams had voted for at the beginning of the season and so a video conference has been scheduled for next Monday.
It can fall on the table even the cessation of the event for 2-3 weeks, in order to prevent further spread of the coronavirus, as it was found that there were cases in teams that had been faced in the last games. However, this will bring “Suffocation” in the calendar, especially in a year that includes World Cup and Eurobasket qualifiers in September.
Of course, the whether the limit of eight available players will remain so that a game is not postponed. Many teams believe that when they are forced to go down to the games with so many absences and covering the gaps even with teenagers, the competition and finally the Euroleague score is altered.
Another issue that will be raised is to adopt the NBA model for fewer quarantine days, 5 or 6 for asymptomatic. This, however, can be an obstacle to government decisions in some countries, where the 10-14 day ceiling remains and where some who have fallen ill but emerged from isolation will not be able to travel.
The current protocol stipulates that matches can be postponed due to incidents if there are not at least eight available players, but no match can be postponed more than three times and those teams that exceed the limit and do not find an available date, will lose the match by 20 -0 through their own fault. Also, a 20-0 defeat is predicted for the teams that will not comply with the health protocols in the first offense and their expulsion from the tournament in the next.
It is noted that no postponed matches will be held after April 14 (end of regular season) in the Euroleague or after May 6 when the playoffs begin. In fact, it is possible to hold a match in a neutral venue, if the need arises due to the pandemic.
Finally, in the extreme case of interruption of the season, the score that exists at the time of interruption can be considered final both for the completion of the season and for qualifying for the next phase. If necessary, the teams will give the remaining / postponed games to balance the number of matches given by each team.
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