By Lefteris Moutis/ Moutis@eurohoops.net
The final Euroleague game of 2009 left a strange taste to the Greens. Among celebrations for the win over CSKA, then team boss Thanasis Giannakopoulos, uncle of current president Dimitris, was throwing 500 euros bills to referees in front of Euroleague CEO Jordi Bertomeu accusing them – not entirely without reason – of pushing the Russians back into the game in the second half, after the first 20 minutes had ended with the Greens leading by 20 (48-28). The final score was a 73-71 Panathinaikos‘ win with CSKA‘s Ramunas Siskauskas missing a three point shot in the buzzer (73-71).
It was just the first act of an ongoing war that reached again a bowling point this Tuesday. In 2011, again after the first play offs game in Barcelona with the hosts winning by a point (83-82), the Greens had many complains about the referees. One day after the game, in Athens there was an attempted arson in a cafe that belonged to Euroleague’s director of referees Costas Rigas’ son. The police investigated the case without results.
In last season’s Final Four, after the defeat of Panathinaikos in the semifinal by CSKA, the owners of the Greens were once again furious. Bertomeu addressed the subject two days later, but one day after the game, as Eurohoops learned, a meeting between the brass of Euroleague and Panathinaikos was held in Istanbul. The Greeks were still furious about the referees, Euroleague was mad because of the behavior of the Green fans and the two sides decided to bury the hatchet. The end result was a record fine for Panathinaikos.
Things were relatively calm for almost one year, but the possibility of a storm was always there. Panathinaikos filed an official complain to Euroleague about the referees of the last Top16 game against CSKA Moscow. The text included the line “not even Steaua Bucuresti during the Ceausescu era in Romania didn’t have such protection”.
That was just the prelude. After Tuesday’s defeat by Barcelona, Dimitris Giannakopoulos stated: “We have had enough. Something stinks. I challenge the authorities to check the bank accounts of Euroleague’s refereeing officials and specially the accounts of mr. Rigas”. Some hours latter, “Prasini” newspaper had in its front page the title “whore Euroleague”.
So what’s next one may ask? According to Eurohoops sources, Euroleague will publish an official announcement about the issue. They are also asking by the refereeing department a flawless performance in the next games between Panathinaikos and Barcelona, because they don’t want to give the slightest reason to complains by anyone.
As for Rigas, he defended himself in basketnews.gr: “They can check my bank accounts any time they want. I am obligated by law as the vice president of the Greek Olympic Sports Complex until 20011 to give a list of all my revenues and assets to the country’s high court. They can see all my revenues, which by they way are reduced during the last years due to the crisis. I don’t have to be afraid for anything. For 50 years I have give many samples of who I am”.