After Panathinaikos lost 102-95 in extra time to Aris in the Greek League, the president Dimitrios Giannakopoulos went crazy after the night when head coach Ergin Ataman was disqualified. Giannakopoulos, who started a barrage on his Instagram account with the final whistle of the match, did not mince his words. “Coaches, assistants, all of you… You don’t realize where you’re playing, do you?” He started by saying and continued:
“If you have the dignity to return, you will all resign when you arrive in Athens. Players, coaches, assistants… You are all a disgrace! Coaches, assistant coaches, all of you. You don’t know where you play, this is Panathinaikos! When you come back to Athens, if you have the dignity to return, I hope you will all resign. Including the players! Players, coaches, assistant coaches. You have all disgraced us. As soon as you return to Athens, you must all resign. To all of you.” Shame on you! I don’t want to hear anything about the referees, you can’t lose to Aris with a budget of 40 million, start playing basketball, understand where you are.”
These words, which amounted to a call for resignation, had a great impact within the club. Experienced coach Ergin Ataman remained calm despite the tension. The Turkish coach made a surprising decision while preparing his team for the EuroLeague match against Real Madrid. Ataman closed the last training session to the media and did not attend the press conference.
After the reactions, Giannakopoulos made a more constructive statement. In the video he published from his home, he stated that he was focused on the goal by saying, “I will put the European Cup right here, on that little table, in May.” The Greek press interpreted these words as a “step back”.
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