By Lefteris Moutis/ moutis@eurohoops.net
Despite the objections, that can be seen in this video and are called manufactured by Crvena Zvezda, the 24.232 fans in the Eurocup quarterfinal game between the hosts and Budivelnyk Kiev are officially the new attendance record in a single Eurocup game.
That makes Kombank Arena the home of the five best attendance numbers in recent European basketball history. Βehind Crvena Zvezda’s achievement there are four games of Partizan which are the top four official attendance records in Euroleague. It remains to be seen what will be the reaction of Partizan fans next week in the Euroleague home game against Zalgiris.
Still it has to be noted that the all time record attendance number in European basketball is the 80.000 fans present in the 1968 European cup final between AEK Athens and Slavia Prague in Athens’ Panathinaiko stadium, the open air venue that hosted the first modern Olympic games back in 1896.
Also Panathinaikos was punished in 2013 for over-attendance by Euroleague. According to unofficial reports almost 30.000 fans were inside OAKA – the official seat capacity is 18.500 persons – in the quarterfinal Euroleague game against Barcelona.