By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Following a convincing win over Virtus Bologna in the Telekom Center Athens, which pushed Panathinaikos Aktor back on the win column of the 2025-26 EuroLeague Regular Season, head coach Ergin Ataman revealed that he had received offensive online messages regarding his Turkish nationality from fans of his team.
“Mostly on my social media, there are some people who start to attack me, especially for my country. They start to attack, sending a message that I am Turkish, and I must leave Greece because I am Turkish. I am very bad for Panathinaikos, stuff like this,” he mentioned in a postgame press conference following Thursday’s contest at the bottom end of a two-game week.
“I am proud to be Turkish, but I love Greece. I love Athens. I love Panathinaikos, but I am here to be successful. For this, I showed my fist at the beginning of the game,” he furthered, “This synergy, that must fight with everybody, with the fans, with the players, with the staff, with the club, and then we will reach the big goals. We never give up on the big goals.”
Earlier, in a postgame flash interview, the 60-year-old play-caller specifically addressed a recent comment about leaving the Greens if he does not capture a fourth championship in Europe’s premier club competition at the end of the 2025-26 campaign.
“If you play at Panathinaikos, the best club in Europe, the best organization, you must put effort into winning the games, and, after, to reach the goal. So, this is the challenge for me. Also, my players make this challenge for themselves. I don’t say that if we don’t win, the players will go, but they must make this challenge. We are here to win. This is the only important thing,” he said.
Jumping to 13-8 by pulling away in the second half versus the Bologna outfit in Athens, his side reached a tie with Real Madrid in sixth place of the EuroLeague standings, the lowest seed guaranteeing a ticket to the Playoffs 2026.