Mike James and Donatas Motiejunas think that despite feeling bad for Facundo Campazzo, the punishment imposed on Crvena Zvezda was fair, given the long-term impact on setting the rules for financially undisciplined clubs.
AS Monaco players Mike James and Donatas Motiejunas discussed the situation of Facundo Campazzo.
Due to a prolonged ban by the EuroLeague Finance Panel, Campazzo won't be able to take the court for Crvena Zvezda until the March 2nd away game against Bayern Munich.
The club has paid off all its debts and has even asked EuroLeague CEO Marshall Glickman to overturn the punishment. In support of Campazzo, his teammates wore special warm-up jerseys with the hashtag #FreeFacu to draw attention to the situation.
Campazzo himself has also appealed to the EuroLeague to be allowed to play.
Despite the difficult situation, Motiejunas and James took a broader perspective, considering the impact on the league.
"I want him to play first," Mike James made clear on the URBONUS podcast.
"But if they're not paying people, even if he's getting punished, he's on their team. It could have been anybody. Anybody that would sign there would have the same problem. So it's not just against Facu. I love Facu, that's my guy. If you're not paying the players, some type of fairness and rules has to be installed for some type of punishment if you're not paying people."
Motiejunas was on the same page as his teammate. Even though Campazzo's situation may be difficult at the moment, it's a necessary sacrifice for the long-term well-being of the players and the clubs they represent.
"This was the problem for years. But now we have a strong backup, a union, and each of us is paying money to protect our rights," he replied in the URBONUS conversation.
"Talking about this situation, I have a clear answer. If you're not paying players, this is the situation you get. Even if Campazzo is the victim, any other player could be in this situation. But we're talking about all the league players over one guy. We have to be protected for these situations not to appear."
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Real Madrid
AS MonacoMonaco players have emphasized the importance of zero tolerance for late payments.
Both former NBA players used the example of how the top league in the world deals with this issue.
"If you're supposed to get paid on the 1st, and the 1st is on Sunday, you're getting paid on Friday."
In countries like France or Germany, overdue payments are virtually non-existent due to strict government regulations.
"I don't know who's not getting paid or none of that, but if they're not paying players or have debts, they have to take care of that before," Mike James added.
"There are rules that we have to obey. Like us players, we have to follow the rules. There's the bare minimum. We have to be there 15-20 minutes before the practice," Motiejunas extended.
"They have to pay on time. The season finishes, and you have to pay off all the money. The situation is not nice, I feel the player, but that's the club's problem, not Campazzo's."
Watch the entire URBONUS episode with Mike James and Donatas Motiejunas:
