ASVEL released a statement saying they would not go to Israel for a friendly tournament in mid-September due to an "unstable geopolitical context." The club was pressured not to go by local fans for weeks leading up to the decision.
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne were supposed to participate in a friendly tournament in Israel before the start of the season. They have now canceled the trip.
ASVEL were scheduled to travel to Tel Aviv in the middle of September to play in a tournament with Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv, Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem, and Rytas Vilnius.
The French club has announced that it has chosen not to go to Israel:
In the interest of neutrality and in the face of an unstable geopolitical context, our professional team will not travel to Israel to play a pre-season tournament. Our president, Tony Parker, "strongly hopes that calmness and peace returns as soon as possible to allow sporting events to be held in optimal conditions."
During weeks leading up to the tournament, ASVEL faced pressure from certain local groups about their visit, with some fans even starting a petition against it.
ASVEL and Hapoel Tel Aviv's ownerships met in July and announced the preseason tournament as a step toward European clubs playing in Israel again.
"I think it will help tremendously, and when Tony Parker says everything is back to normal here, it will help a lot. The cooperation between the two clubs will help generate more clubs that will come to Israel," Hapoel's owner Ofer Yannay said, via The Sports Rabbi.
The tournament was about to be canceled for good after Hapoel struggled to acquire a license to hold events in the Shlomo Group Arena in Tel Aviv due to a dispute with the local police.
Ultimately, the two sides managed to work things out. It is currently unclear whether any team will replace ASVEL.
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