LIB - Lebanese team finally depart

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BEIRUT (FIBA World Championship) - The Lebanese national team were finally able to leave their war-torn country on Thursday to continue their preparations for the FIBA World Championship.

Coach Paul Coughter and his team had been stranded in Lebanon for five days but left by bus over the northern Lebanese border and were driving through Syria southwards to Jordan, where they would re-start their training camp in Amman.

Included on the bus were the wife and child of Lebanese star Fadi El Khatib, the only non-team passengers.

"From a basketball point of view, this is a nightmare," Coughter told the Berliner Zeitung.

"All of this is very difficult on all of us. There's a fine line between concern and fear. And many of our young players are scared of leaving their mothers and sisters behind in Lebanon."

Israel continued its attacks on the Lebanese capital and other regions of the country on Thursday.

Coughter, however, did not want to comment on the situation, saying: "I'm the last guy to talk about politics."

Michel Beyrouthy of the Federation of Lebanese Basketball said Coughter has his entire team with him with the exception of Paul Khoury.

The 38-year-old centre was still in Salt Lake City in the United States and plans to join the team later.

Beyrouthy explained the situation leaves the team not knowing what they can expect in Japan, where they will play in Group A against defending world champions Serbia & Montenegro, 2004 Olympic champions Argentina, France, Venezuela and Nigeria.

The Lebanese had hoped to beat Venezuela and Nigeria to reach the Round of 16.

"But this changes everything," Beyrouthy said.

PA Sport