It is therefore over for the players of the Tamponnaise Basketball. They will not participate in the 1/16 finals of the French Senior Women’s Cup Trophies. An end of competition which is not due to a poor performance, but linked to the health context. In December, they had eliminated the Mahoraises of Fuz’Elipse 70 to 43 in the previous round.
In a letter addressed to several regional overseas leagues (Reunion, Mayotte and Guyana), Jean-Pierre Siutat, the president of the FFBB, informs that their representatives are no longer authorized to participate in the competition planned in metropolitan France. “In view of the health risks associated with the pandemic in overseas territories and the metropolis, in agreement with the government authorities, we have decided that it was more reasonable to cancel your trip”, specifies the mail.
A decision that strongly reacted to Johan Guillou, the president of the Reunion basketball league. In a long letter, he replied to the president of the FFBB.
The mail :
The regional basketball league that I chair received on January 11, 2022, a letter from your federation.
We are told that all overseas teams are excluded from the Coupe de France trophy. The reason given is that it is a measure taken “with regard to the health risks linked to the pandemic in the overseas territories and in the metropolitan territory in agreement with the government authorities”.
From reading your letter, I assumed that it was a final stop of the Coupe de France or its postponement in view of your justification. And that would have been understandable.
But what was my surprise to see that this concerns ONLY Ultramarines!
It is therefore an incomprehensible and totally discriminatory decision! You say that even the government validates the exclusion of overseas?
What logic in your decision, which only concerns Ultramarines, when you yourself say it, the entire metropolitan territory is affected by the increase in the numbers of covid19. In this case, why can the metropolitan teams continue to participate in the Coupe de FRANCE? How would the exclusion of overseas teams be justified?
You say it’s a decision made in agreement with government authorities. Yet our island, like all overseas, continues to receive tourists on our territories and that does not bother the government authorities. And there are flights every day from our territories to the metropolis without this being a problem for the authorities! And allow me to tell you that in her letter of January 4, 2022, the Minister for Sport Roxana MARACINEANU declared: “ that she is delighted that the practice of sport is preserved ”Despite the current health situation. Well not for everyone, by removing the Ultramarins from the competition.
What logic in your decision when all the players of the LA TAMPONNAISE team and all the players of the BCM team of MAYOTTE are vaccinated and they must in addition, do a PCR or antigen test before their departure for the metropolis? Even vaccinated and in addition tested, the licensees can no longer practice sport now?
What logic in your decision when the teams had to be in a sanitary bubble during their presence on site? Because by staying a week in France, you should take no risk and the players should only go out to train and eat. This is not the case for the metropolitan teams on site who normally live throughout the week and who would play against our teams on weekends. They would therefore be statistically more exposed to contamination unlike ultramarines.
What to say to the overseas teams who have sportingly won their place in the round of 16 while their mainland opponents will automatically qualify for the round of 16 without playing? I’m not even talking about the players who had to take time off with their employer on purpose to play their cup match! Because I remind you that no one is professional with us! Sacrifices they have made for this competition and which they look forward to every year!
I regret that you have taken such a serious decision without, first, without having consulted the leagues of LA RÉUNION, MAYOTTE and GUYANE! Because we are all equal, so either the competition is completely canceled or it is maintained. And in the latter case, even though our opponents would be much stronger than us and we could lose with a wide gap, the little thumbs that we are have deserved their qualification.
Finally, in your mail you added: “We plan to see very quickly with your leagues how to thank you for your interest and your participation …”
Let me tell you that this sentence is shocking and contemptuous of the Reunionese, Mahoran and Guyanese teams. WE ARE NEITHER FOR SALE OR BUY, WE JUST WANT TO BE RESPECTED AND PLAY!
Mr. President, I know your attachment to the overseas territories. I cannot think for a single second that you accepted this decision of the federal office. Or, I think you will rectify things, because you will agree as we do, that this decision is doing a lot of harm to our territories which fight every day for the promotion of basketball and its values.
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