The champion Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball team left for Moscow via Zurich Tuesday to play the Soviet champions, the CSKA Red Army team, in Moscow Thursday.
The contest, part of the European Cup tournament, will be the first time an Israeli team has played in the Soviet Union.
The Soviet authorities issued visas to the 25 Israeli players, coaches and staff, but reneged on an early promise of visas to Israeli fans who wanted to accompany the team.
Israeli journalists were also banned, except for three radio and television sports commentators. But at the last minute, the Soviets granted visas to 11 print journalists whose applications had been stalled.
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