By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
While action unfolded on the court, off-court issues quickly overshadowed the event. Officials from the Istanbul outfit formally complained about ticketing logistics, specifically targeting the seating arrangements of Turkish supporters who traveled to the Greek capital. Head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius addressed the organizational breakdown during his postgame press conference, noting that numerous fans were barred from entering the venue entirely.
“About the fans, I can just read the press or the social media,” explained the 50-year-old tactician. “Whoever is coming, the fans are not going to win the game.”
“The only thing sad that I’m hearing is that a lot of Fenerbahce fans, who bought the tickets, were not able to enter,” he added. “This is an extremely sad story for the EuroLeague, this organization.”
“If people pay this amount of money, they make an effort, and they cannot get into the arena? That’s very sad, and I feel bad for the Fener fans, because this is what we are talking about before the game, with many of them outside, waiting for an email or something. By the way, I was in the restaurant with many of my friends last night, at 11 o’clock, and they had no tickets. So, people started asking me if they will have tickets,” furthered Saras. “This is not a good situation for the EuroLeague, for sure. Sad.”
Some fans reportedly received their tickets just minutes before tipoff, while others got them only after the game had already started. There were also supporters who were unable to enter OAKA Arena at all to support their team.
Time will tell where exactly the issue originated, but it seems this will not be the end of the story. Fenerbahce director Cem Ciritci did not mince words while speaking about the unpleasant situation.
“Unfortunately, this is the most disgraceful Final Four organization I’ve seen in recent years. We arrived on Wednesday and have been speaking with officials for days about loading the tickets, but we haven’t received any reaction. They placed Olympiacos fans in our family section. Families are waiting outside, buses are waiting outside, fans are waiting outside. There is an unbelievable organizational failure,” Ciritci told S Sport.
“We were not ourselves”
Meanwhile, the defeat ended a highly anticipated clash between two powerhouse clubs meeting for the third time in the 2025-26 season. Making its eighth historic appearance in the Final Four, the two-time champions struggled mightily out of the gate. The team went completely scoreless through the first six minutes of the second quarter, taking seven full minutes just to register their first points of the opening frame.
“We were not ourselves,” said Jasikevicius during his postgame interview, commenting on the early offensive stagnation. “It was very clear that Olympiacos was Olympiacos, and Fener was not Fener. Every time we got some kind of hope, we just gave up too many easy points. Probably, we came back within the distance of nine or seven, possibly, two or three times, but just gave up easy buckets.”
The coach heavily critiqued his squad’s shot selection, pointing to an over-reliance on perimeter shooting during their scoreless stretches. “Every time you come into these big games, and you start firing the three-point shots immediately, as we did in the first five minutes, this is not our basketball,” he noted.
The semifinal also marked an emotional milestone for legendary Fenerbahce guard Nando De Colo, who logged his final appearances in Europe’s premier club competition, having announced his retirement at the conclusion of the 2025-26 season.
Roster depth allowed Jasikevicius to omit Armando Bacot, Metecan Birsen, Mert Eksioglu, Melih Mahmutoglu, Yigit Mestoglu, and Arturs Zagars from the active 12-player lineup, while center Jilson Bango remained sidelined due to injury.
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