In Valencia, the EuroLeague match between Panathinaikos and Valencia ended not only with a tense battle on the court, but also with a major incident off the playing area. The president of the Greek club, Dimitris Giannakopoulos, became the center of attention after his emotional protests against refereeing decisions in the final quarter forced security staff and the National Police to intervene during the game.
According to RUSSPAIN, Giannakopoulos was seated in the front row beside the Panathinaikos bench and was actively voicing his dissatisfaction with the referees. The situation escalated to such an extent that police drew up three reports—one against the president and two against his security guards—but no arrests were made. After the final whistle and Panathinaikos’ 105-107 overtime victory, the conflict continued outside the court.
Coaches’ reactions and consequences
Valencia head coach Pedro Martínez condemned Giannakopoulos’s behavior as ‘unacceptable’ during the post-match press conference. In response, the Greek team’s coach, Ergin Ataman, noted that this was the first time he had seen ten police officers try to detain a club president after a game. Giannakopoulos himself took to social media to accuse Valencia and its coach of attempting to shift the blame for the defeat onto the officiating, emphasizing that he had not approached the referees.
Incident details and context
A video posted by Giannakopoulos on Instagram added fuel to the discussion: the Panathinaikos president said he saw no grounds for complaints from the Spanish club and wished his opponent luck in the series. The incident sparked wide resonance in the basketball community and became one of the week’s most talked-about topics.
The situation involving the Panathinaikos president was a reminder of how intense conflicts can become at Spain’s sports venues. Similar episodes have already attracted media attention, as was the case with the decisive match between Cádiz and Las Palmas, where the fight for league survival was marked not only by athletic competition but also by heightened emotions — read more about this in the article about the tense encounter in Cádiz.
