Ergin Ataman didn’t hold back in criticizing the refereeing and some Greek league rules following Panathinaikos’s loss to Olympiacos. Here are his statements:
Ataman’s comments:
“This was theater, not a basketball game. Today we cannot talk about basketball. I would like to ask you if Dorsey and Walkup can play together on the national team at the same time: can they? No. Because they are two naturalized players. But here in the league they play like that. I don’t think this happens in other countries. Vezenkov is a Bulgarian national team player. We are talking about three players, plus six foreigners, plus three referees. For us, it is very difficult to win.”
On the exchange with a referee:
“It was also a funny moment, because in the first half I asked one of the referees: ‘Why didn’t you call this obvious foul, while the other one did?’ and he replied: ‘Coach, it’s my first Greek derby.’ And I told him: ‘You started very well, so you will be a protagonist in all the next Greek derbies like this.’”
On the game and the future:
“I am proud of the players because they fought in the second half… The game does not change our life or our situation in the league; we tried, but they didn’t allow us to. I told my players in the locker room: I don’t care. For me, the most important thing is the next three away games we have in the EuroLeague.”
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