By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Filing a complaint and attaching footage of numerous controversial referee decisions in a letter to the Basketball Champions League was the reaction of PAOK mateco, following the Regular Season Group G Gameday 5 contest against Unicaja in Thessaloniki Tuesday.
As forecast by head coach Aris Lykogiannis, the Greek club formally explained the problem focusing on the three officials through the video consisting of multiple questionable decisions, across about 30 separate plays, as noted in the press release Friday evening.
“Everybody saw what happened,” mentioned Lykogiannis in the postgame press conference apparently referring to the referees in charge, Serbian Aleksandar Glisic, Italian Saverio Lanzarini and Romanian Viola Gyorgyi, “We will do our job. We will send a video. We will cut everything that needs to be cut. We will decide what we will do officially. Because what happened here today, it was at the limit of ridiculous.”
In a tight affair, Unicaja edged out PAOK with Jalen Riley missing the opportunity to force overtime at the buzzer. The Malaga outfit was already through to the Round of 16, but the losing side fell shy of punching in a ticket to the best-of-three Play In stage and will instead look to get the job done in Gameday 6. Requirements are to either take down JDA Dijon on the road or Unicaja to defeat Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari at the conclusion of the double-legged round-robin schedule next Tuesday.
Besides the letter to BCL, PAOK officially parted ways with Zisis Sarikopoulos, after reuniting with the experienced center in November. The next stop for the veteran of 16 appearances in the Champions League will be at fellow Greek Basket League participant Karditsa Biologiko Xorio.
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League