Matanzas/On November 27 of last year, the Cuban basketball team received its counterpart from Argentina at the Ciudad Deportiva Coliseum in Havana, as part of the World Cup Qualifier of the discipline. This game ended with a score of 80-68 in favor of the Argentines. Karel Guzmán stood out for the Four Letters by registering 22 points, six rebounds and three assists, however, not even his great performance prevented the defeat. After the match, the 31-year-old forward exploded in front of the press and questioned the administrative management of Cuban basketball:
“The effort we make in coming to play for the national team, even though it is something we want, is not highly valued by the (Cuban Basketball) Federation. We have family outside of Cuba and we are part of a club, and if we do not do things well there, we cannot advance or grow as players. Those are things that, in the end, the Federation must realize and look at. We always come with the best disposition and the things that affect us are outside of basketball,” he declared.
For its next meeting, Cuba would return to visit Argentina on December 1. “Coincidentally,” Karel Guzmán did not receive his official passport and was left at the Havana airport without being able to travel or contribute to the team. The Caribbean defeat was more painful this time with a scandalous 105-49. Guzmán later managed to return to Europe, where he works for U-Banca Transilvania Cluj-Napoca in Romania. However, the chances of seeing him again with the national team seem remote. About what happened to him in those days, he spoke with 14ymedio.
Ask.- What exactly did you mean when you said that the effort of the Cuba team players was not valued by the Cuban Basketball Federation?
Answer.- The reason I said that was not to target anyone personally. I said it because it was a pain I had and still have. I have been playing for the national team for just over 10 years and contracted as a professional abroad for more than eight years. And like me, there are many players who give a percentage of their contract to the Federation. It started at 10%, it already went up to 15%. So, let’s do a calculation. Suppose there are seven or eight players hired from the national team, who contribute from their salaries. And sometimes, we get to train and there aren’t even uniforms, which is the minimum on a team. I saw my teammates training with different shirts. It seemed like we were training in a park, instead of in the national team. Sometimes they didn’t even give us water for a workout that lasted at least two or three hours at 35 degrees. These are things that show that they do not value us because we come from the other side of the world, leaving a family, leaving a club and we see that the opposing team is capable of supplying what we lack. They give them water and not us. The question of the century is what is being done with that percentage that the players give? Sometimes they ask us to pay for plane tickets or buy clothes and balls for training. These are things that the Federation could solve. I also clarify that I have always gone to the national team because I wanted to, no one has ever forced me, and I believe that if it were not for these situations, as a team we could achieve many things.
It seemed like we were training in a park, instead of in the national team
Q.- What consequence did those statements have for you?
A.- I cannot confirm that what happened later with the trip to Argentina and my problem with the passport was due to my statements, but I cannot assure that it had nothing to do with it either, because in the end, you never know. What it did cause me was a fine from my club. Because for my return, I had planned to fly from Argentina to Greece, and since I did not leave from Argentina, they had to arrange my departure from Havana, I was in Cuba for more days than planned and I did not arrive on time for a very important match, and by not showing up for reasons that had nothing to do with the club, I received the fine. These are things that come after a mistake and the Federation does not realize it. Right now I am very disappointed and I don’t know if I will play for Cuba again.
P-. Does the current management of Cuban basketball influence leading players in foreign leagues to give up on the national team?
R-. I know high-level players who would like to play or have played at other times for Cuba, and if we joined together, we could have a historic team in terms of results. But many of these basketball players are not with the team for economic reasons, because they ask you to buy things that they should pay for. I think that is the main reason why the main figures leave, although some may have another reason for not going. In my opinion, I think that the Federation is not aware of how far we can go as a team, nor of the group that could be put together. I have watched other Latin American teams for a long time. I know what they were like before and how they are now. And we have players to play at a higher level than a World Cup qualifier.
Q.- As for the percentages of their contracts, do only players trained in Cuba have to give them? Would a basketball player trained abroad who decides to play for the Cuban team also have to give them?
A.- As far as I know, the percentage is being paid by players trained in Cuba like me. The others, I’m not sure.
Karel Guzmán is in his fifth season in the Romanian League. His time at U-BT Cluj Napoca has also allowed him to compete in European club competitions such as Basketball Champions League and Eurocup. There are more than 2,700 points for the Havana native as a professional player, if we count his time at the Olympic LB on the Argentine circuit. An athlete of that caliber is not formed overnight. Therefore, his absence would be a hard blow for the Cuba team. Above all, if we take into account that it is not a consequence of poor sports performance, but of the stubbornness and arrogance of those who are in charge of basketball in their country.
