By Fersy Deniz Yahyabeyoglu/ info@eurohoops.net
The economic crysis in Galatasaray LH affected also coach Ataman and according to Eurohoops sources Ergin Ataman is on the verge of resignation.
Ataman haven’t been paid for seven months and two weeks ago he attended a meeting with directors. They promised him to solve this problem but they didn’t. One day before the game against Maccabi he met again with the directors. They offered him a check which will pay him in June. Ataman replied like that: “You will not be here on June as the board of directors. Why did you offer me a check when you will be not here?” He rejected the offer. Ataman has a demand of 850k Euros for this season, he waited for the payment till Friday but it did not happen. Ergin Ataman plans to send the proper paperwork on Monday to the club in order to defend his rights, taking proper legal action.
The cold war between Euroleague and Galatasaray after the game against Maccabi is a fact. The club issued a press release about the whole situation which is the following: “While Galatasaray Men’s Basketball team who are competing and representing Turkey succesfully in Euroleague was outgunning Maccabi, our victory was stolen unfairly in the last 6 seconds. In Europe’s biggest basketball organisation which is sponsored by Turkish Airlines the refrees made a wrong decision with discrimination and they did not condescend to watch the instant replay of the position. Galasaray SK condemns the double standart made to our team and decided to apply any legal processes that needed. We are warning the basketball public opinion of both Turkey and Europe and we are notifying that we will not allow anybody to extort our basketball players who work up a sweat.”
The coach of Galatasaray LH Ergin Attaman while speaking to a TV sports program he attacked Euroleague refereeing coordinator Kostas Rigas. As he said: “Euroleague referee committee president Kostas Rigas sent me an SMS at night and told me that they will choose “Tyus’s block” as the block of the night. Rigas added that he took Greek commentators’s advice and the decision of the refree was right. I told him that I talked with Turkish Euroleague referees and they mentioned that the decision was wrong. We made an arguement, his messages were still in my phone. Are Euroleague being managed according to Greek commentators’s decisions? From now on (ed. note: FIBA Europe president) Turgay Demirel should become a part of these activities. There will be a little chance for our team, however the other Turkish teams can not be treated like that by Euroleague anymore.”