From the moment Maccabi Tel Aviv started looking for a coach, it marked Xavi Pasqual as the leading candidate to reach it.
To attach him, the Yellows put his hand deep in his pocket and offered him a record salary for a coach in the history of the Yellows: over a million euros on a 3-year contract. If at first if at first the gaps between Pasqual and Maccabi Tel Aviv seemed large, the willingness of the Yellows and the improved offer, led to the fact that at least for the coach, coming to Israel is possible.
But then came the main obstacle – the high “buy-out” that Zenit St. Petersburg placed on the coach who holds the contract. Why? Well, there are some possible reasons. First, the belief that the uncertainty will clear up, the war will stop and the team will play in some European framework – makes it wonder whether it is worthwhile to remain competitive and keep the esteemed coach.
To the extent that Zenit does not return to the Euroleague or any other European setting, she will only play in VTB. In such a situation, it is doubtful whether Pasqual himself will want to continue at the club, probably in light of the fact that most of his players will leave if they have not yet left, but according to speculation in such a situation, Zenit will try to take advantage of the high demand.
Another question that could be decisive is the amount of losses of Gazprom, Zenit’s main sponsor, during the war. The Russian giant may have lost money in the war, but it is still one of the largest companies in the world. It makes sense to assume that it makes no sense to invest in a team that only plays in VTB, a team without stars, and so on. To the top of European basketball.
One way or another, many questions are on the agenda in the negotiations between the Yellows and the Russians – and it is doubtful whether the Israeli team, which will play in the Euroleague next season, has the time to wait and see how things will be resolved. Its rivals are arming themselves and building their future and the pressure outside the gates of the temple is only growing.
