The coach of the Czech basketball team, Ronen Ginzburg, who works in the Ukrainian Prometej team, left the country with his club last week and settled with him at a training camp in Nymburk. After the Russian attack on Ukraine, it is clear that he will stay with him in the Czech Republic even after the national team break.
According to Ginzburg, the threat of war did not seem real to the people there, but further development is like a nightmare.
“When I read the news about it, I feel like I’m living in 1939 before World War II. It’s awful. I believe Europe will solve the situation. But one guy, Putin, wants to return the Soviet Union. If no one stops him, he’ll start “Ukraine and he will go on to the Baltics, and if I overdo it, he can also return to the Czech Republic. When I see what is happening, it seems like a nightmare to me. Really like in 1939,” Ginzburg said in an interview with reporters in preparation for qualifying duels with Bulgaria.
His club Prometej has been in the Czech Republic for a week. “When we saw that the situation was starting to get complicated and American players not only from our team but also from others started to leave the country. We continue to play in the Champions League for the eighth finals. “We have to move elsewhere in Europe to be safe. I have a close relationship with the Czech Republic and it was easy for me to choose to take our team there. After that idea, it happened very quickly,” Ginzburg described.
He didn’t even consider other options. “We would have more options. For example, Israel, but also other countries. But I already take the Czechia as my home. I know everyone there, the halls, Nymburk, so that was the best solution for us,” said Ginzburg, who said In October 2020, he also acquired Czech citizenship.
Prometej will play a duel of the eight-final group F of the Champions League with Kluží in Nymburk on Thursday, March 3, and six days later against Ostend in Prague at Královka. Ginzburg hopes that the Ukrainian club could have spectator support there as well. Ukrainians working in the Czech Republic traditionally go to support their compatriots, and they will also be attracted by the successful coach who led the independent Czech national team to the Tokyo Olympics for the first time in history last year.
However, the participation of fans directly from the town of Kamyansk or the surrounding area will be very difficult. “I know that the president of the club wanted to send a plane to the matches with fans from Ukraine, but the complicated situation will probably not allow it,” Ginzburg said. The team has five Americans and one Croatian, the rest are Ukrainians. “Some players left to represent Ukraine, others had time off and then we return to the Czech Republic,” he said.
Before leaving Ukraine, the situation was not so dramatic. “People didn’t believe that something serious was going to happen. In our city, in the Dnieper or in Kiev. It was only happening in the east in Donetsk. In the last few days, when I called the people there, they already felt that it was probably it will be worse and the danger is greater than it seemed last week, “said the 58-year-old coach.
According to him, the conflict will also affect the club negatively. “It’s a big disappointment overall. Basketball is on the rise again in Ukraine now. I’m not the one to judge it, but it will stop the country’s development, so it will fall again. They are worried about the current situation and worried about the future,” Ginzburg said.
Russian aggression can affect the entire Ukrainian sport. “Sport in Ukraine has been rising overall lately. Basketball, football and everything. But this is bad. Some big international matches have been canceled – of course, sport will suffer,” added the basketball coach.
