By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Panathinaikos Athens owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos visited the practice of his team and addressed the players ahead of the Greek League Finals vs. archrival Olympiacos Piraeus that begin Friday (30/5).
Giannakopoulos’ asked Panathinaikos players to sweep Olympiacos, mentioning that anything else will be “unacceptable.” He also told them that this will “destroy” the Reds for the following years that this is “more important” than winning the EuroLeague championship.
Giannakopoulos’ fell speech to the Panathinaikos players was as follows, per the club:
Good afternoon to everyone,
I got some bad news. We aren’t EuroLeague champions anymore. Have you realized that? Has that been imprinted in your head? Fenerbahce won it because they were hungry. They entered the court with a knife between their teeth, like we did last year. They don’t have a better roster than us. .You are the best roster in Europe. But they played as a team, like we played in the previouys Final Four. One player was trying to cover the other player’s mistakes, as a team, as family. Why did we win it last year? It wasn’t jusst the roster, but the family atmosphere around us. Unfortunately, I’m sad to say I didn’t see anything similar this year. Even during the last couple of days, it wasn’t like that, as I’ve heard.
I’d like to ask each and everyone of you individually, if you have any complaint from the club. You are paid on time while when it comes to any other request for any other matter you have, the management, the coach, the answer is always positive. Correct me if I’m wrong. I ask again. Do you have any complaint from the club? Answer me honestly, because this is the time to say it. I take your silence as “no.”
Yet I do have one complaint. I know that basketball is a game. You may win or lose, shoot the ball and it will go to the basket or it won’t. What I saw on Friday [in the semifinal vs. Fenerbahce] was some people who weren’t ready to ‘bleed’ for the team, to ‘bleed’ for the title. This is the only thing I can’t accept. I can’t accept everything. Losses are part of the game. Losses build winners.
As I have done verything for you, since you don’t have any complaint, I’d like to ask from each and everyone of you personally but from the team as a whole to do this for me. This summer, if we don’t win the [Greek League] title, some of you will be at Mykonos, others at Paros, Santorini or wherever. I’ll be at home because everywhere I go they’ll be complaining at me and swear at me.
If you respect me, if you think I’m near you, if you’re on this team either for a couple of months, or two years, anything else other than a 3-0 [in the Finals] will be unacceptable. You are the best team in Europe, with the best roster and the best coach. I won’tspeak about me, but for the club which is the biggest in Europe.
We have the best arena in Europe and the best fans. Please, do that for me and I’m looking everyone of you in the eyes. Do this for me.
I ask you and plead to do that for me! I’m looking at you in the eyes. Do that for me. At Olympiacos, they don’t talk to each other. You can finish them off. Destroy them! Win! If we win this title in these Finals, we’ll destroy Olympiacos for the next couple of years. This is more important than the EuroLeague championship title!
You have the talent, the balls, you have everything. Please do that for me. Let’s go all together!”