Euroleague Basketball’s Chief Operating Officer Eduard J Scott has corrected an earlier statement made today regarding Friday’s game between Panathinaikos and Barcelona at the OAKA.
Referees Luigi Lamonica, Damir Javor and Emin Mogulkoc were attacked by two unknown individuals in a taxi along with the driver as they were heading to their hotel in Athens.
A window of the taxi was smashed, but three officials and the driver were not hurt in the incident.
In a statement, Euroleague Basketball mentioned that they were thinking about the possibility of moving games away from Greece, Scott has said that the earlier comments were not directed towards the people but instead the minority who choose to ruin the sport.
“To avoid any misunderstandings, the Euroleague Basketball statement today is not directed against Greek fans, Greek clubs, Greek public authorities nor against Greece in general,” Scott said.
“It is about not allowing that a small minority performing criminal acts prevent the thousands and millions of Greek fans from enjoying games in a safe, secure and respectful manner.
This includes bringing friends, families, children to the arena without requiring any second thought, as should be the case in 2020.
It is about protecting players, coaches, referees, management, journalists and every other accredited individual, allowing them to display a great spectacle on the court without feeling threatened in any way and at any time.
“Everyone involved in sport must try their best in making sure such behavior is punished and eradicated from sports altogether. Everyone must get together to achieve this once and for all.”
