Ergin Ataman discussed the expected fan turnout for Turkiye in the EuroBasket 2025 Semifinals against Greece, highlighting the significance of crowd support in Riga.
“I expect our airlines to operate additional flights to Riga and for many fans from Turkiye to support us in this game. We will be playing a historic semifinal against Greece. Fan support is very important,” the 59-year-old coach told Anadolu Agency.
With around 4,000 tickets still available, Ataman anticipates a large presence of Turkish supporters, alongside at least 1,000 Greek fans traveling to the Latvian capital.
Several players on both sides share a Panathinaikos connection: Panagiotis Kalaitzakis, Konstantinos Mitoglou, Kostas Sloukas, Alexandros Samodurov, and Vasileios Toliopoulos are on Greece’s roster, while Cedi Osman and Omer Yurtseven play for Turkiye.
Ataman emphasized that this adds an extra layer of familiarity to the matchup.
Since returning as Turkiye’s national team coach in 2022, Ataman has led the team to notable finishes, including tenth place at EuroBasket 2022.
The team has gone undefeated in the preliminary round of EuroBasket 2025 and has advanced past Sweden and Poland in the knockout stage, ensuring at least fourth place.
On the other side, 43-year-old Vassilis Spanoulis, a recently retired Greek legend, took over as national team coach in 2023.
He guided Greece to eighth place at the 2024 Paris Olympics after winning the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Piraeus. At the club level, Spanoulis now heads AS Monaco.
Ataman noted that the rivalry and stakes make the Semifinal not only a historic clash but also a showcase of European basketball talent intertwined with past club-level connections.
🇹🇷 Ergin Ataman expects additional Turkish fans in Riga for the Semifinals #EuroBasket
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) September 10, 2025
🗣️ “We will be playing a historic semifinal against Greece. Fan support is very important”https://t.co/Jl6faQrANL
