All seven foreign players of Maccabi Tel Aviv did not return with the team to Israel on Friday after the Euro-league game in Belgrade the night before. All leading Israeli sports media cited the club's decision to cut 15 percent of the players' wages due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict as the cause for the incident, reports Xinhua. NBA Christmas Day Games Records: A Look Back at Some of the Best Performances Ahead of 2023 Annual Holiday Special Fixtures.

Due to the conflict, Maccabi hosts its Euro-league games at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in Belgrade, Serbia, behind closed doors, resulting in heavy financial losses. On Thursday, Maccabi played the local side Red Star Belgrade and lost 98-92.

"At the end of the game, the foreign players spoke with the club's management and announced their decision not to arrive in Israel," Maccabi said in a statement.

It added that the team will show up for its two upcoming Israeli Super League games on Saturday and Monday with only Israeli players. Maccabi's next Euro-league game is against Zalgiris Kaunas in Lithuania on Thursday.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 23, 2023 02:24 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).