Greek Deputy Sports Minister says national team is above all

ATHENS - Greek Deputy Sports Minister Giorgos Vasileiadis has highlighted the importance of the national basketball team to the country.

Speaking after meeting members of the Greece team who were visiting Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras following their victory in Crete at the weekend in the FIBA U20 European Championship 2017, he described the sport as 'a great power in our country'.

"Greek basketball offers great moments and happiness to the Greek people, during a tough period," he said. "The national team is paramount and we should not lose the ability of players to play in the national jersey in front of their own fans."

Referring to Greek players who may be unable to be selected for the national team because their Euroleague clubs have decided not to recognize windows set aside for national competition, Vasileiadis said: "The participation of the Greek players in national team games is a big issue and we are in consultation with the National Federation on how we can find a solution. We produce great players and it's a pity that these players don’t have playing time with their teams."

Vasileiadis hinted that the government may step in when saying: "There may be some interventions."

"It is also important that fans have the opportunity to see the national basketball teams playing home games," he went on. "I think the (FIBA) initiative to have qualifiers during the season, giving the National teams the opportunity to play in front of their audience, is in the right direction.

"People need to see the national team more than just once a year in friendly games and the last time Greek fans saw their National Team in an official match was several years ago.

"It's a serious issue but pan-European dialogue has begun. We support the concept of creating a Team in the real sense rather than just a random gathering once a year."

FIBA