Friday Frappé: ‘Broken’ Basket League set for 80th season

In this week’s edition of the Friday Frappé, AGONAsport’s Peter Katsiris takes a look at a broken Basket League system on the eve of the 80th season of professional basketball in Greece.

Watch LIVE GREEK TV including full GREEK SPORTS coverage with Go Greek TV! 

The 2019/2020 Basket League season tips off on Saturday evening as professional basketball in Greece marks its 80th season. Despite the momentous occasion, the upcoming season remains marred by controversy from last season as the relegation of three clubs in particular continues to have lasting impact on the top flight.

Though the Basket League welcomes Ionikos and Iraklis back to the top-tier after both sides earned promotion from the A2 Basket League last season, neither of the sides that finished in the relegation zone last season have been relegated.

Lavrio and Kolossos, despite their finish in the relegation zone, have secured somewhat of a ‘second life’ in the Basket League after the clubs bought their spot in this season’s top-tier. Kolossos’ top-flight status was secured when Holargos, a side that was promoted at the start of last season, were relegated due to financial problems despite an eight-place finish and a playoff berth.

Lavrio’s fate was improved by a similar situation at Kymis, which narrowly avoided the drop by one-point originally before financial problems sealed the club’s demotion to the second tier.

Then there’s the Olympiacos situation and the club’s relegation after the Piraeus giants forfeited three games against Panathinaikos last season over protests to biased officiating. The first instance came in the Greek Cup semifinal between the two Eternal Rivals, with Olympiacos opting to forfeit the second half of the contest in protest of the officiating on the night – the club citing three fouls charged to the Erythrolefki inside the first 30 seconds as just one reason for the walkout.

Olympiacos lobbied for international referees for their meetings with Panathinaikos, but that lobbying fell on deaf ears as the Basket League board underlined the leagues rules would not be changed midseason. That result meant that the league meeting between the two sides at the Peace and Friendship stadium was also forfeited, with Panathinaikos collecting yet another win by default.

Olympiacos’ penalties meant the Piraeus club slipped from their second-place rank in the standings all the way down to eighth to setup a first-round playoff meeting with Panathinaikos. Sticking to their guns, Olympiacos forfeited their playoff matchup with their archrivals which ultimately triggered the club’s relegation to the A2 Basket League.

After plenty of deliberation over the summer, Olympiacos were ultimately relegated from the top flight. Olympiacos’ exit from the top flight opened the door for Larissa to enter the first division, this shortly after the club rebranded from their previous name of Ermis Agias Larissa.

As for the Basket League, despite the midseason discussions about officiating, very little was done to improve the officiating standards in Greece though it was approved that future appointments of officials will be handled by the league office and not the Hellenic Basketball Federation.

While all three relegations are just by the rules, the Basket League’s faults do make it difficult to see a future for professional basketball in Greece considering the strength of European competition. With clubs like Olympiacos prepared to start a new movement to unite Europe, it’s not unlikely that the Basket League eventually becomes a secondary competition – even more so than it is now in its tug-of-war with the EuroLeague.

by Peter Katsiris

Image Source: To10.gr

Thank you for visiting AGONAsport.com, the only English based website for Greek sports fans across the world! Like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter for all the latest news in Greek Sports!