Pini Gershon: Ataman talks more than he coaches

Pini Gershon, the volcanic former coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv, was rather critical of Ergin Ataman and Kostas Sloukas in a recent interview with sports.walla.co.il, focusing on the performance of Panathinaikos AKTOR.

Speaking about Ataman, Gershon said: “Ataman talks more than he coaches. I understand the pressure, he is closer to coaching in Turkey next season than in Greece. And where will be decided by Maccabi. I don’t want to get into politics because it’s nonsense. He and Giannakopoulos created a story to put pressure on the referees, but the behaviour of Panathinaikos in recent years does not tilt the EuroLeague on their side”.

Commenting on Sloukas’ performance and the team’s attitude, Gershon said: “I saw a €3.5 million player with no self-esteem in Game 3. Sloukas has a lot of experience, but he lost all his self-esteem.

He added about the team management: “Some Panathinaikos players don’t want him as a coach. He sat on the bench in the third game and that sends a bad message to the players. A coach must always be on the pitch so that the players feel he is on their side.

The second leg of the tie, which will be played in Belgrade with Maccabi leading Panathinaikos 2-1 in the series, is scheduled for 20:45 tonight.