The government is “pulling the plug” of the basketball championship - Minister issues new ultimatum to team owners

The Deputy Minister of Sports, speaking on Tuesday morning on RealFm, was clear about his intentions, stating, among other things, that in the event that the two sides do not meet with him at 15:00 on Wednesday (4/6, 15:00), namely Dimitris Giannakopoulos with Panagiotis and Giorgos Angelopoulos, the Stoiximan GBL championship will be interrupted.

Specifically, Giannis Vroutsis stated, among other things: “On Wednesday at 15:00 I have personally called the owners, Messrs. Angelopoulos and Mr. Giannakopoulos to my office for what purpose? They will not sit at the same table together to solve their personal issues. These will be resolved by the courts. The goal is to send a strong message against violence and toxicity. The invitation to the Minister's table is to send a resounding message against toxicity and to continue the championship in this way.

If they come separately, this makes no sense. The message, if we do not send it together, will have no basis. They will not come to solve their own issues, their own differences. They will solve them in court. I do not operate with the announcements that exist in the public debate and what is said. If they do not come at three at the appointment, the championship will stop at the Minister of Sports' table. Because this is not sports, this is not meant to be sports"

At the same time, top executives believe that, given the current data, not having a champion for the first time in 69 years is currently the most likely scenario, given the refusal of Messrs. Giorgos and Panagiotis Angelopoulos to sit at the same table with Dimitris Giannakopoulos.

Yesterday's message from Megaros Maximos to the owners of the τεαμσ was clear: either they will meet with the State representative and make specific commitments for the smooth completion of the championship or they will also take responsibility for its interruption in the event of non-attendance. "We are waiting for them until 15:00, at 15:05 there will be no championship," said a government source after the shameful scenes that unfolded at SEF on Sunday evening.

According to information from protothema.gr, since Sunday evening and while the aberrations were unfolding live, Kyriakos Mitsotakis appeared particularly concerned about what could follow. “So, if the next game is played, what could happen?”, the prime minister was reported to have said to his interlocutors. Hence, between the path of non-intervention and intervention, he chose the second path, avoiding the “middle ground” solution of completing the finals with games behind closed doors.

The government is weighing up the reactions from the fans of the two popular teams and estimates that the reactions were rather subdued to the prospect of a lockout. On the one hand, this is linked to the fact that the non-completion of the championship has no consequences for the teams’ European course, and on the other hand, the situation was such that it was difficult for anyone to consider that the finals could be completed in a relatively orderly manner. Hence the ultimatum, which the teams appear to be ignoring, realizing the consequences, since the government is not going to back down and appear to be blackmailed. “We must protect the fans, both those who go to the stadium and those who watch on television,” added a central government source.

Hard line on stadiums and universities
Somehow, the curtain on the basketball championship is expected to fall soon, with the government now following a harder line on law and order issues. It is effectively applying the football model to basketball, as in previous seasons it had put a lock on the Super League, while it is also moving in this logic of security measures for universities, with Mr. Mitsotakis yesterday consulting with the rectors of universities, requesting the implementation of the security framework and announcing that any rector who does not respond to the state’s requests will be faced with a discount.