Basketball: Dickel to play for Rostov

Known: Tall Blacks point guard Mark Dickel has signed one of the most lucrative contracts in New Zealand basketball history - thought to be more than $300,000 - to play in Rostov, a city in southern Russia.

Not known: Whether Dickel had to spend spent 48 hours in a Turkish jail to do so.

Dickel himself, when asked about the incident, leaned back in the couch he was dwarfing and, in a drawl three parts Nevada and one part Dunedin, said: "Nah, that's not true." If this was a courtroom he may have been judged an 'unconvincing witness'.

Dickel, known as Sparky, has signed for Lokomotiv Rostov. What is less clear is what happened to him in Turkey, where he has played for Turkish club side Erdemir, based in Istanbul.

His contract with Rostov had to be physically signed in Europe so Dickel - who has been living in the US after getting married there - arranged for the signing to be in Turkey.

The Herald on Sunday was told by two sources that, unbeknown to him, his disillusioned former club had revoked his work permit and, when Dickel turned up to Istanbul to complete the signing, he was detained at the airport and taken to a cell, only to be bailed out later by Rostov officials.

He apparently was advised that his permit was not in order and was told to go through a door. The door led directly to the authorities and ultimately to a detention centre.

What is also not clear is what Dickel will find in Rostov. He will have a 'minder' with him there to ensure he gets where he needs to get to, to help him with the language and, no doubt, to ensure the large wads of cash he gets paid at the end of the month do not fall into the wrong hands.

Russian basketball is not, it is said, immune to the influence of the mob.

"I haven't seen it yet, but it should be OK," Dickel said of Rostov.

Rostov-on-Don is a city of slightly more than one million in Russia's Black Sea region. At some time or another the settlement on the Don River has been claimed by the Greeks, the Genoans (Italians) and Turks, before passing into Russian hands.

Much of the city was reduced to rubble by the German forces that occupied it in WWI and WWII.

The most conspicuous feature of the downtown is the enormous Cathedral of Virgin's Nativity.

Rostov-on-Don has experienced considerable economic growth in recent years, as the Russian economy recovers nationwide. Numerous start-up companies have established headquarters in the city.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY