BARCELONA: Barcelona rejected a request from an Israeli basketball team to train at their facilities next week, a club source confirmed to AFP on Wednesday.

The Catalan club said it was for logistical and public order reasons that they would not allow Hapoel Jerusalem to train on their Palau Blaugrana court before a match against Baxi Manresa on October 15 in the EuroCup competition.

"We don't want to have any problems," explained the club source, after an increase in protests against Israel because of the Gaza war.

The source said on that day preparations would also begin for a Barca handball match in the Champions League, and that Manresa were obliged to allow their opponents use of their court.

Valencia Basket are due to face Hapoel Tel Aviv, another Israeli team, in the EuroLeague competition on the same day.
The pro-Palestinian BDS movement, calling for boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel, has called for that match to be cancelled.

Spain's government has labelled Israel's actions a "genocide" and prime minister Pedro Sanchez in September called for Israeli teams to be excluded from international sport.

Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 67,183 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, figures the United Nations considers credible.

Israeli basketball team

Barcelona reject Israeli team training facility request