Lietuvos Rytas’ vice-president Linas Kleiza was furious with the referees of the Lithuanian derby which took place on Sunday as his side lost to perennial Lithuanian powerhouse Zalgiris.
Kleiza reportedly entered the referees’ locker-room and made remarks about the officials of the game, Tomas Jasevicius, Jurgis Laurinavicius and Juozas Barkauskas.
Zalgiris took a narrow 70-67 win in Vilnius to improve its Lithuanian League record to 5-1.
When asked about the reason behind his reaction, Kleiza stated: “You don’t even have to watch the game. How is it even possible for Zalgiris to have shot 29 free throws, while Rytas only shot 13?”
A possible fine awaits Kleiza but he doesn’t seem too interested.
“The penalty is not the problem,” he says. “The league has to respect us, not count us out.”