Neven Spahia expressed his disagreement with the FIBA ​​regulations allowing the use of a naturalized player. An experienced coach criticized this choice of national teams.

“I am against the presence of foreigners in the teams, it has no basis. Of course, Jaylene Smith is raising our national team (s.s. Croatia), but I do not agree with the FIBA ​​regulations. The team is the face of the national basketball school. Unfortunately, this is necessary for some teams, for example, Croatia, which has not been able to bring up a high-level playmaker for 15-20 years,” the Croatian coach said in an interview with Mozzart Sport.

“I hope other big basketball nations like Serbia never let that happen. When you put a foreigner on your team, you lose part of your identity,” added an experienced technician.

He then cited the Greek national team and Tyler Dorsey as an example. “I see Greece playing Tyler Dorsey winning solo with Giannis Antetokounmpo. If this is the goal of the national team, fine, but I’m against it. It’s funny for me to see at the presentation how the cameras zoom in on the players, and when the national anthems are played, some do not know the language or the words. Let as many foreigners as you like play in the clubs, but we have national teams for a reason, ”concluded Spahia.

The 59-year-old Croatian coach is looking for the next phase of his coaching career. He was on the bench for the Basque Country last season.

Neven Spahia: Nadam se da Srbija nikad neće imati estranca, Hrvatska može da bude jelovna na vaše klubove https://t.co/fsrgGoDq60 via @MozzartSport

— Mozart Sport (@MozzartSport) September 5, 2022