{"id":550987,"date":"2026-10-18T11:30:19","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T09:30:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/?p=550987"},"modified":"2026-10-18T11:30:20","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T09:30:20","slug":"coldebella-maccabi-are-one-of-the-four-clubs-with-the-richest-history-in-europe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/coldebella-maccabi-are-one-of-the-four-clubs-with-the-richest-history-in-europe\/","title":{"rendered":"Coldebella: \u201cMaccabi are one of the four clubs with the richest history in Europe\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Claudio Coldebella spoke to QS<\/em> journalist Alessandro Gallo<\/em> about life in Israel, the challenges of EuroLeague road trips, and his connection with one of European basketball\u2019s most historic clubs. Here is an excerpt from the interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coldebella, where are you right now?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m in Tel Aviv at the moment, in a beautiful city.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A city under lockdown?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would say it\u2019s a beautiful city. The idea that it\u2019s under lockdown is perhaps a preconceived notion. To understand it, you would have to experience it for yourself. And besides\u2014\u201d<\/em> the executive continued, \u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s a player who doesn\u2019t like Tel Aviv.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When did you first visit Israel?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPerhaps in 1989 with Virtus Bologna. I\u2019m going by memory: it was the middle of winter, and we arrived there to find the sea and 20-degree weather.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How would you describe it to someone who doesn\u2019t know the city?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPerhaps somewhere between Miami and New York. Like the Big Apple, it has skyscrapers and chaotic traffic. But I think there\u2019s an indicator that shows how much players like this destination.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which one?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s simple. Bringing a player here isn\u2019t impossible. A good offer might be enough.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And yet?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf a player didn\u2019t feel comfortable here, they would leave once their contract expired. This year, too, we\u2019ve had plenty of players renew their contracts, starting with Lundberg, whom you\u2019ll remember from his time in Italy.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tel Aviv is fine, but you\u2019re always on the road.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the problem. While another team can return to practice after playing against us, we\u2019re flying. This is a peaceful country. Of course, it\u2019s set up to deal with emergencies. But that\u2019s part of this country\u2019s history.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Playing in Belgrade isn\u2019t the same.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s right. I\u2019m saying this for the sake of the EuroLeague product, too. Last Saturday, in the Israeli league against Galil Elyon, we had a sellout crowd: 11,000 people. Maccabi has always been the people\u2019s team. When we play at home, it\u2019s as if we start every game with a 100-point advantage.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A provocation: it\u2019s called the EuroLeague, but Israel isn\u2019t in Europe.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTrue. But what about Dubai? What about Turkey? Europe or Asia? Certain parts of Russia? Maccabi has always been part of this competition, ever since it was called the European Champions Cup. It has always fascinated me. I consider Maccabi one of the four clubs with the greatest history and legacy in Europe. The other three? Real Madrid, Panathinaikos and CSKA Moscow.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You played for two Italian teams.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI could continue the list of four by adding Olympiacos and the Fenerbahce team that Maurizio Gherardini took to the top. Then Milan and Virtus Bologna also have plenty of history and appeal.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your Maccabi team has just beaten Olimpia Milano.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTrue, but Milan\u2019s roster is one of the best in Europe.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Virtus Bologna?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI find them exciting. They have their own philosophy and stick to it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s play out the Final Four in advance: who will make it?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019d say Olympiacos, Fenerbahce and Panathinaikos.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greece thanks you. But that\u2019s only three teams. Who\u2019s the fourth?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaccabi, if, as I hope, we\u2019re able to return to playing at home.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will you return to Italy?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne day, yes. As an executive, I\u2019ve had the opportunity to work for fantastic clubs, from Varese to Reggio Emilia, as well as Caserta and Treviso.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does Italy look from the outside?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m optimistic; I can see things moving forward. I think of the Rome derby, and of the fact that Maurizio Gherardini is now at the helm of the Lega Basket.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You and Maccabi are expected to inaugurate Bologna\u2019s Unipol Hall.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019d be delighted. I can\u2019t wait. New arenas are good for basketball. Modern, functional facilities also help the sport become more sustainable.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Maccabi Tel Aviv general manager Claudio Coldebella was interviewed by Alessandro Gallo for QS.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":178,"featured_media":497271,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_spbk_hide_featured":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[199,255],"tags":[16373,3563],"rumors":[],"typology":[],"posizionamento":[16775],"class_list":["post-550987","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-euroleague","category-israel","tag-claudio-coldebella-en","tag-maccabi-tel-aviv-en","posizionamento-stories"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/05\/Claudio-Coldebella-.jpg","digistream_id":0,"digistream":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/550987","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/178"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=550987"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/550987\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":550988,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/550987\/revisions\/550988"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/497271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=550987"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=550987"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=550987"},{"taxonomy":"rumors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rumors?post=550987"},{"taxonomy":"typology","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/typology?post=550987"},{"taxonomy":"posizionamento","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posizionamento?post=550987"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}