By Vangelis Papadimitriou/ info@eurohoops.net
A ticket for the BCL final four is on the line in Jerusalem for the upcoming Game 3 between Hapoel and AEK.
The Greek club is in danger of sanctions due to the behavior of their fans in Game 2 and the violent incidents in Athens, however the Greek club issued today an official statement accusing Hapoel of trying to take advantage of the situation.
The BCL has already started disciplinary proceedings for the embarrassing incidents in the Ano Liosia gym, AEK is already facing difficulties regarding its trip to Israel and accuses Hapoel’s behavior of promoting violence.
Per the press release: On the occasion of the repeated news reports by the other side and despite our good intentions, we inform you of the following:
1) The management of Hapoel and their fans at the Ano Liosia gym did not follow the safety rules that they were informed about a long time ago, and they did not respect the decisions made during the joint meeting with the Greek police for the safety measures of the game.
Their late arrival at the stadium (they entered it at 16:50, instead of 15:30), caused a problem in the security plan and thus the safety control at the entrances was flawed.
2) Hapoel fans made and wore t-shirts with the Parthenon painted red and the message “ATHENS IS RED”, while stickers with the same message filled our gym. The “message” about the Parthenon constitutes a desecration of a national/historical monument and apparently caused outrage among Greek fans. Imagine what a diplomatic episode would have been caused if AEK fans had made a similar t-shirt with some historical monument of Israel painted in yellow and black. This particular “message” was also displayed on Hapoel’s social media days before the match, but we did not use it, nor did we respond, precisely so as not to provoke. This is self-evident. Anyone can find it. And now we are in trouble? Some common sense, please!
3) The Hapoel fans threw back on the court the flare that the provocateurs hooligans/invaders had thrown at them, when they could have just let it go off on an empty part of the gym. This is how they risked the physical integrity of athletes/referees after the flare exploded on the floor. At the same time, they threw bottles of water and coins at the AEK fans, children, and families, sitting on the lower deck.
4) The Hapoel management (themselves, who insist on anti-terror and anti-violence sermons) a) uploaded a promo video for next Wednesday’s match, where they urge their people to open the gates of hell, thus promoting violence and disregarding the physical integrity of our group b) they gave our player Akil Mitchell’s personal mobile number to their fans (!!!), who have been sending him hate messages for days threatening him for the third match…
5) The VIP guests of Hapoel, throughout Game 1, gestured and cursed the families of the AEK players, who were playing next to them. We remind you that AEK fans in the first match, in Jerusalem, did not cause the slightest disturbance.
In any case, while we are trying to calm the situation down through our announcements, undertaking whatever task we have to do, and also via two interviews with Israeli Media, Hapoel continues daily to dynamite the climate with the sole aim of polarizing the whole situation and the intimidation of our team and the referees ahead of Game 3.