By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
The 38 minutes video of “wrong calls” and also a paper about the fact that Olympiacos and Fenerbahce are getting “preferential treatment” are not the main point. After all, there are cases in which you can argue for hours about a call and even more about the refereeing criteria of a game or even of a season.
The point is that while EuroLeague is getting into its best ever era financially and commercially, one of the main shareholders is trying to damage the league’s reputation once more, hurting on the process even his own organization and the possibility of gaining more in every level.
The latest action of Dimitris Giannakopoulos may end up resulting in one more fine against him since the competition’s bylaws include a provision about punishments for criticizing the referees and also his move can be considered detrimental to the sport of basketball, an article of the disciplinary code that has been already used against him.
However, it’s obvious at this point that Giannakopoulos is doing whatever he can in order to express his discontent and distance from the EuroLeague.
According to Eurohoops sources, EuroLeague has decided not to pull the rope anymore. The reaction on the latest move of Giannakopoulos will be a non-reaction, besides the possible fine that’s an automatic consequence of the bylaws. That, however, doesn’t change the fact that not only EuroLeague but all the other clubs of the competition core are confused in the best case and angered in the worst about his behavior.
And the problem for Giannakopoulos is not having many allies. The clubs which are directly aimed by him are naturally against him and most of the other clubs are puzzled by the idea that the Greens are presented to be victimized since they have won four of their six EuroLeague titles in the modern era of the EuroLeague under the current administration.