By Niki Bakouli/ bakouli@eurohoops.net
Mike Batiste’s arrest opened the Aiolus’ bag for Panathinaikos basketball club. It was the reason for new owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos checking all the financial datas for the first time, after he trusted his uncle, Thanasis’ word for them, before he took over the presidency, last summer. The facts are that Panathinaikos didn’t pay not only Batiste’s taxes (for his contract), but many other players’, with Dimitris Giannakopoulos saying “I cannot afford to pay for everything was supposed to be cleared off by my uncle”, before he burst into tears.”For all these, I don’t have indications, but solid evidences. I have all the papers I need to prove what was going on and I can hand them to anyone who cares to see them”.
He travelled back in time and said “in 1987 my family took over Panathinaikos’ basketball club. In 2002 the administration got into Thanasis Giannakopoulos’ hands. The past couple of years, we tried to find an investor, but it wans’t feasible. And due to a very difficult economical period for our country, I decided to step up and keep the club, in the best way I could. When I asked for the financial data from the previous administration, they mocked me. I had a totally different image. And today I found out, it wasn’t the one they told me so. Do you want the truth from me? Obradovic left because Thanasis owed him many salaries. That was the reason many of our players left, last summer. Many of you, the journalists, fought me when I took charge. Many of the fans accused me as the responsible for Zoc’s departure. I kept my mouth shut, cause when you deal with your family, you don’t talk. I’ m 38 years old, I’m strong and I can take anything, except betrayal, moreover from my own blood. I’m really sorry but I can no longer be at Panathinaikos. I give all my stocks to Thanasis, if he wants them. I’m ready to give them from free, to anyone who wants to take Panathinaikos’ basketball in his own hands, I will even give them back to PAO amateur sport club, where they belong”.