Swedish Basket Star Suspended From National Team for Joining Russian Club

Following Russia's special operation in Ukraine, numerous sports federations have shunned Moscow, refusing Russian participants the opportunity to compete in international events. Many foreign athletes have chosen to leave their Russian clubs. Swedish basketball star Jonas Jerebko has landed in hot water for doing the opposite.

The Swedish Basketball Association has decided to suspend its star player Jonas Jerebko from the national team. The reason is that he signed a contract with the Russian club CSKA Moscow, a two-time winner of the EuroLeague.

“It is an honour to play for such a historic club as CSKA,” Jerebko said in an official statement, commenting on his transfer, which was made public earlier this week.

The Swedish basketball authorities responded by removing Jerebko, who has played a total of ten seasons in the NBA, from the national team.

“Fredrik Joulamo, Secretary General of the Swedish Basketball Association, has spoken with Jonas Jerebko about his choice to play in Russia and pointed out how it directly conflicts with Swedish Basketball's values ​​and our clear stance on the Russian issue,” the association said in a press release. “After this dialog, we have unfortunately been forced to state that there are no conditions under which Jonas Jerebko may represent a Swedish national basketball team.”

The news of the transfer one month after the start of Russia's special operation in Ukraine was met with widespread criticism in Jerebko's home country of Sweden. Besides the suspension from the national squad, at least one of his main sponsors terminated his contract.

Sports expert Nick Rajacic at the national broadcaster SVT called Jerebko's transfer “tone-deaf”, suggesting that it would permanently damage his “otherwise spotless” legacy.

In 2007, 35-year-old Jerebko, the son of former Syracuse forward Russian-American Chris Jerebko, who played professionally in Sweden and settled in the country, became the second Swedish-born basketball player to be selected in the NBA draft. During his decade-long stint with the NBA, Jerebko played with four different teams, the Detroit Pistons, the Boston Celtics, the Utah Jazz and the Golden State Warriors. Most recently Jerebko played for the Russian club Khimki, where he spent two seasons.

Following the start of Russia's special operation in Ukraine, aimed to demilitarise the country following calls for help from the newly-recognised Donbass republics amid increasing attacks from Kiev, Russian teams and individual athletes were banned from a plethora of sports, competitions and tournaments, despite long-standing claims that sporting life is above politics and that uniting nations is one of its key values. Furthermore, many foreign athletes have chosen to leave their Russian clubs of their own accord as a token of moral outrage. At some events, including the Wimbledon tournament, Russian and Belarusian tennis stars must sign declaration forms distancing themselves from Vladimir Putin and acknowledging they don't support the authorities, or receive any assistance from them, if they wish to play.