By Lefteris Moutis/ moutis@eurohoops.net
At the end of the press conference after the game between Olympiacos and Khimki, the coach of the Reds was asked about the possible reaction of his club towards the FIBA World Cup qualifying windows.
Players of Olympiacos have been called in the Greek national team and Sfairopoulos explained his position: “The EuroLeague is the best league outside the NBA. It’s a great competition. The Greek fans will have the chance to see the best teams in Europe. It’s important for us to be part of the EuroLeague. Olympiacos was one of the first members of the EuroLeague. On the other hand, we love and respect our national team. I was also a member of the Greek national team coaching stuff. But we should not operate against the sport”.
Sfairopoulos spoke about the old version of the FIBA qualifying games: “I was a member of the Greek national team in 2002 when there were “windows”. We have played against Romania and Denmark in old gyms. We were beating them by 30 points. FIBA decided to abolish those game. I can’t understand why this is happening now and why there’s such debate. We say about our players who have to play for their national teams, but not about the NBA players. I can’t understand the separation. Every fan enjoyed the new format of EuroLeague last season. The gyms are full, the television ratings are up, we should not hurt such a league”.