By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
The three players of AEK, Dimitris Katsivelis (photo), Linos Chrysikopoulos, Dimitris Moraitis, after initially not being given permission by their club to join the national team for the upcoming FIBA Eurobasket qualifiers window, they will return tomorrow to the national team practices.
During the last few days, AEK is complaining about the referees of the cup game against Lavrio. On top of that, AEK claims that Promitheas was aware of positive COVID cases before the semifinal cup game against PAOK but they didn’t make any announcement until Saturday.
Yesterday Promitheas joined by the Greek national federation announced that due to positive COVID cases in the team, Giannis Athinaiou, Dimitris Agravanis, Giannis Agravanis, Haris Giannopoulos, and Michalis Lountzis who were initially called in the national team, will not be able to compete in the upcoming qualifiers.
However, the Greek national federation with an official press release announced that the three AEK players are declared “unjustifiably absent” and also that the federation ” feels the unpleasant need to express its dissatisfaction with the treatment of some “bosses” of basketball in Greece, in relation to the representation of Greek basketball which is the national teams. And it is very important for everyone to understand once again the important difference between the two: Greek basketball and basketball in Greece”.
With a second press release, the federation announced that after communicating with AEK, the three players will be added to the roster and Greece will travel with 13 players to Riga for the Eurobasket qualifiers.
Eurohoops contacted AEK and the club insists that their initial decision has nothing to do with their complaints about referees and their motivation is their belief that the health protocol in the match PAOK – Promitheas was violated. Promitheas won the game and qualified for the cup final.