Panathinaikos threatening to quit EuroLeague again
Following the cancellation of the 2019/2020 EuroLeague campaign, Panathinaikos are now threatening to leave the competition as a new conflict between Dimitris Giannakopoulos and Jordi Bertomeu begins.
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This isn’t the first time when Panathinaikos have threatened to leave the EuroLeague. A couple of years ago, Giannakopoulos stated that he was going to remove the Athenians from the tournament as a result of poor refereeing, but the Panathinaikos owner later decided to backtrack. Panathinaikos, one of the 11 teams to hold a contract with the EuroLeague until 2026, must pay the organisation a grand total of 10 million euros if they are to leave the competition before their cooperation agreement expires.
The EuroLeague officially ended the 2019/2020 season last week as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. However, Panathinaikos wanted the season to continue, as they were the only club out of the 11 licensed teams to request a resumption. The reason behind Panathinaikos’ desire to resume play was the lack of clarity concerning revenue for the 2020/2021 campaign.
Giannakopoulos has now revealed that he is considering withdrawing Panathinaikos from the EuroLeague because of concerns regarding revenue for the 2020/2021 season. On his personal Instagram account, the fiery 45-year-old uploaded these following statements which were quite clearly eluding to Bertomeu:
Bertomeu, the chairman of the EuroLeague, has stated that another team will replace Panathinaikos if the Greeks decide to leave: “It’s not the first time we hear it,” remarked the 61-year-old in an interview with El Pais. “With Panathinaikos, the best thing to do is to have patience, the capacity to make dialogue with them and make them see. But Panathinaikos also knows that they don’t have a better scenario outside the EuroLeague, but a much worse scenario. It’s a no-brainer for anyone who understands this. And despite the fact that at some points they made an announcement of this type, it has never happened. And if it happens, if they leave, another team will come.”
Although they haven’t made the Final Four since 2012, Panathinaikos are one of the most successful teams in EuroLeague history, having won the competition six times. Panathinaikos were in sixth place of the 2019/2020 regular season when the campaign was suspended in March.
