Panathinaikos B.C. is still struggling to digest Tuesday's loss to Maccabi Tel Aviv in Game 1 of the EuroLeague quarterfinals. In an official statement released on their X account, the Greeks leveled serious accusations against the officiating and EuroLeague management, alleging that decisions were made to favor Maccabi due to the security situation in Israel.
"Once again, we witnessed gross errors during critical moments of the EuroLeague, reminiscent of the injustices we endured during Jordi Bertomeu's (former Euroleague chief) presidency," the statement read.
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Panathinaikos B.C., Maccabi Tel Aviv
(Photo: Andreas Papakonstantinou / Tourette Photography)
"While we refuse to believe that the tragic events unfolding around the world (in Russia, Ukraine, Israel, and Palestine) could influence basketball decisions, given the glaring mistakes in yesterday's game, we can't think of any other reason."
The statement further read, "The game is supposed to be a remedy to heal wounds, and it's clear that basketball should remain above all this and not be affected. Panathinaikos has proven throughout its existence how much it loves the game, investing sweat and money to delight millions of fans over the years, putting everything on the line. The club has been around for 116 years, longer than some countries. In conclusion, we request an end to belittling the product."
In addition to this statement, Panathinaikos owner, Dimitris Giannakopoulos, posted a story on his Instagram account asking, "Is there room for politics in professional sports?"
The two teams will meet again on Thursday for Game 2, also taking place at OAKA in Athens. Based on what we saw in the first game and the reactions afterward, it seems like it's going to be just as intense, if not more so.