By Nikos Varlas/ varlas@eurohoops.net
As it was leaked before the official announcement and was confirmed by the Reds to Eurohoops, the highest council of judging sports differences (ΑΣΕΑΔ) decided that the Greek cup quarterfinal game between Panathinaikos and Olympiacos is practically won by the Reds.
Olympiacos despite losing on the court, asked for the win because the game was held in the presence of punished Panathinaikos president Dimitris Giannakopoulos who didn’t have the right to attend. The initial protest of Olympiacos was dismissed, but the highest council decided that the demand was justified. According to Eurohoops sources, the delicate part of the decision is that the highest council overrules the initial decision of ESAKE’s judge who dismissed the protest of Olympiacos, but doesn’t add anything else about how the situation will be resolved. Olympiacos already asked from the federation to schedule for next Tuesday the semifinal game against PAOK and for the time being the federation postponed the game between PAOK and Panathinaikos.
The Reds are now preparing for the semifinal road game against PAOK and a reaction by Panathinaikos is expected. However the decisions of the highest council can’t be appealed. The news were first reported by ebasket.gr. This defeat in the Greek cup created a chain reaction in Olympiacos which had as a result the resigning of coach Giorgos Bartzokas.
Dimitris Giannakopoulos protested about the decision and said among others: “Which is the point, the fact that I was in the gym or that Bartzokas, Spanoulis and their gang couldn’t win in the court even our kids?”. He defended himself by saying that he had appealed his punishment when the quarterfinal game was held and that was the justification for him being present. Τhe club also issued an official announcement about the case.
Olympiacos of course answered: “The highest council by today’s decision accepted our appeal and by overruling the first degree judge decision, gave us the win in the quarterfinal game vs Panathinaikos, because of the illegal presence of the club’s president Dimitris Giannakopoulos on the gym. It’s the end of impunity”. The club issued also a second press release, insisting that the quarterfinal game againt Panathinaikos should be declared a win for Olympiacos according to the decision of the highest councul.