By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Rick Pitino has been coaching for over four decades prior to joining Panathinaikos Athens halfway this season to work in Europe for the first time in his career. He’s seen crazy arena atmospheres, matches being forfeited at halftime or even before the game and so much more.
On Saturday (11/5), Pitino found out how things work in Greece regarding football. Or “soccer”, for him, since he’s American.
“In my 5 months in Greece, I’ve witnessed things that I’ve never seen in coaching. Today they play the finals in soccer. No fans are allowed. 1000 invitations given to AEK-PAOK and the Federation & 3000 police. 3-1 police to fans. And there were 45 people protesting Lakers,” Pitino tweeted. He added a “laughing while crying emoji” at the end of his tweet.
The Greek Cup Final is held practically behind closed doors for security reasons. This is common practice in football and basketball games that include teams that carry a certain rivalry for each other.