Statements by the Presidents of Olympiacos on winning the Greek League title
After Olympiacos won the Greek Championship during the club’s centennial year, club presidents Panagiotis and Giorgos Angelopoulos held a press conference, discussing the significance of the title and addressing broader issues surrounding Greek basketball.
Panagiotis Angelopoulos began: “Today marks a historic title in the 100 years of Olympiacos’ existence. We are proud of it. It took a tremendous fight to achieve this outcome. As coach Bartzokas said, after the understandable disappointment from the lost Euroleague semifinal, the team was under an intense and relentless attack from undefined sources; as if reaching the Final Four is a failure, or as if getting there means you must win it. If that were the case, CSKA would’ve won 8 out of 8 titles, not 2. Or Fenerbahçe, with its wealthy owner and enormous budget; very different from ours, even though ours was increased this year. After losing Game 1 in the finals, we were backed into a corner. Giorgos, Mr. Skindilias, Mr. Bafes, Mr. Lepeniotis, and I spent endless hours on the phone figuring out how we could help the team. There were some historic locker-room talks; we didn’t make them public them, they stayed behind closed doors. Of course, that alone wasn’t enough. Panathinaikos is a strong rival with top players and great history. We needed two more wins; and that was extremely difficult. But we showed character and made history. We dedicate this championship to all Olympiacos fans for our 100-year anniversary.”
Giorgos Angelopoulos then took the floor and emphasized: “We are very proud and happy about this title. It might be the most pivotal title in our history at Olympiacos. Time will tell. We faced tremendous challenges, both on and off the courtl and I think you’re all aware of them. We had constant injuries, we didn’t have home-court advantage, we faced a strong opponent, and serious off-court difficulties. There was an outrageous attack on the team, as Panagiotis mentioned, some sources were vague, but some have been clearly identified. It was an unbelievable onslaught; against the team, the coach, and us. But we stood our ground. We had complete faith in the team and its capabilities, and that’s how we arrived at today’s achievement. We won a truly significant title, against a team with many trophies, perhaps a bigger or equal budget to ours, a team with its own arena, and media owned by its owner. Olympiacos doesn’t have a home arena right now. For good or bad, we don’t have media outlets on our side, we don’t control them, so maybe that’s why we must come out and speak ourselves. And we did, at enormous personal cost. There has been a leveling, a false equivalence, in what’s being said by websites and TV channels. It surpasses imagination. Maybe at some point we’ll respond in detail on certain matters. But today is a day of joy, a day of triumph. A thrilling championship in Olympiacos’ 100th year. I want to personally thank the coach; not only for his contribution all these years, but especially for this season. He withstood immense pressure, and we all saw the passion and unity in the team. The true protagonists are the players and the coach. Not us. If needed, we’ll step up and do what we must; but the real stars are the coach, his staff, the players, and everyone who works behind the scenes. Not us.”
He continued: “This team might be one of the most successful in Olympiacos’ history. Since we returned after that shocking decision we made back then, I believe the title count in Greece stands at 9–2. That means something. Essentially, we lost one championship title last year: in the 5th game, on the final shot. You could say a lot about that game but now is not the time. We lost that final, on a buzzer-beater, with injuries, with Fall hurt before the finals even began. But that’s what elite sports are: victories and defeats, hard moments. You can’t win all the time. I believe this is a very big success. And I hope the future brings us even greater joy.”
When asked about their determination to go all the way, even if it meant suspending the league, before the meeting with Minister Mr. Vroutsis (despite Olympiacos having good chances to win the title), and whether that aligned with their philosophy, Giorgos Angelopoulos responded: “I read a lot of articles about the rich, about the elite doing whatever they want; with all due respect, I strongly disagree with those analyses. People have the right to write and say what they want. And we have the right to hold our own view. Panagiotis and I have showed who we truly are for years now, not only in sports but in public life too. When you’re told to meet with someone who has done everything we’ve already laid out - and there’s been no denial, no rebuttal about any of it - when someone goes on national TV and says, ‘That person did this, said this, and that,’ things that are criminal and ethically disgusting, and there's no denial, what are you supposed to think? Did he say it or didn’t he? Is there any doubt? Never mind the videos, or the 15 witnesses who’ve already testified. Someone accuses you of something like that, and you just sit there staring at the stars for 20 hours, hiding? I honestly can't process the reactions and the way some media tried to flatten everything, to draw false equivalencies; national news, TV panels, it’s beyond me. Everyone can have their opinion, that’s fine. Maybe someday we’ll break it all down more clearly. But about that decision: Yes, Olympiacos was ready to walk away, even if the league was to be suspended by the government. We believed in the team; but this was about values and principles. There was no going back. It was about something more important than a league title. We said this outside the Ministry as well. We had full faith in the team and its potential. It was a major crisis management challenge; and I believe we handled it the best way possible, at great personal cost. It’s hard to go against the media. You don’t really win. But I repeat; what has been achieved is a feat. We don’t have our own arena - which is a massive disadvantage - and we don’t control the media. Our rival has both. But I believe truth and values shine through; and that’s why we’re proud today.”
When asked whether this particular championship title represents their values and moral stance, Panagiotis Angelopoulos said: “If you’re able to pass on your values to the team, then you’ve truly achieved something. And this year, we did it. We succeeded, along with our partners and with the coach. I also want to congratulate him for his endurance. What he experienced after Abu Dhabi was terrifying. The disrespect he faced was overwhelming. He didn’t deserve that, not that man. Now we’re champions, we’re winners and happy; but that was a fact we couldn’t talk about earlier. I want to praise him for withstanding it all. We made our players, both Greek and foreign, whether they played a lot or not, step up in the Finals and win the title.”
When asked what was said in the locker room after Game 1, coach Giorgos Bartzokas responded: “I’ve never seen such supportive people as our Presidents, toward people they pay handsomely, no less. The discussion was very realistic, but always ended with, ‘We believe in you, and we love you.’ That’s what the Angelopoulos brothers always stand for. I’ve been with Olympiacos for years now. Not once have I heard them speak to the players harshly, not even critically.”
Giorgos Angelopoulos then added: “The things we said in the locker room after Game 1 aren’t really meant to be shared here. They’re hard to translate. Mr. Pappas managed to capture it quite well. It was a spontaneous and very powerful talk about internal matters. I think it had an impact. We rarely do things like that, very rarely. I honestly can’t remember doing anything like it in the last 15 years. It had a certain strictness, but it came with love and support; to help everyone understand where we stood and what we deserved. We’re a family, and we don’t just say it, we live it. I’ve never seen such a passionate Olympiacos. And I’m not talking tactically or technically; I mean passion on the court, home and away. The performances were absolutely thrilling.”
Regarding the arena and whether there is any update, Giorgos Angelopoulos noted: “Today is a day of joy and vindication. I believe the arena will follow. We have nothing to say at this moment. There is nothing official to announce. We will have to wait a little while. I believe it is close, but we don’t have anything official right now.”
When asked to comment on what Mr. Ataman said during the press conference, Panagiotis Angelopoulos stated: “Toxicity must come to an end. Even if I knew what (Ataman) said, I wouldn’t respond, because toxicity needs to end. We won the championship in our 100th year anniversary. At some point, we need to talk about the sporting side as well. I hope discussions about the next day don’t start today; let’s focus on the sporting aspects. A series that was 0-1 went to 3-1. The sports judges will have their work cut out for them for the coming months.”
Regarding whether they have received any guarantees from Mr. Vroutsis and the government for the next season, Panagiotis Angelopoulos emphasized: “It is up to the government to tighten the framework next season. How they will do that, they will announce. We are also waiting. This needs to happen, and we hope it will happen from the next season onwards.”
On his part, Giorgos Angelopoulos noted: “Last year in Barcelona, after qualifying for the Final Four, I made a statement about toxicity and said, ‘Rivalry is fine, but toxicity is dangerous.’ And I think you saw it. It is very dangerous if some things don’t change. Some people might be happy with the leveling, saying ‘they’re all the same, they fight and it’s their personal issue.’ But it’s not. It’s a matter of legality, and we need to see what kind of sports we want in Greece. If someone wants to post insulting, degrading, ironic comments every 10 minutes thinking it doesn’t affect anyone, well, okay. We can’t change the laws in Greece. That’s not our job.”
Finally, when asked about the stadium issue and what they plan to do if it isn’t completed by the end of 2025, Giorgos Angelopoulos said: “We talk, discuss, propose, recommend, but the government decides. You are right that there is a delay regarding the stadium. Now, we try to be positive. If it doesn’t happen (within 2025), we will see, but we believe it will.”
Panagiotis Angelopoulos added: “If we didn’t believe, we wouldn’t have gone to four consecutive Final Fours. We wouldn’t have invested entire fortunes on Olympiacos. We believe the stadium will be built. These past two years, we had a disadvantage, and we will have it for the next two years as well, because even if we get the stadium, it takes time to build. So, we have a four-year period during which we are -80 million behind Panathinaikos. Twenty times four given the stadium Panathinaikos has, which we lack. But we are optimistic. If we weren’t, we wouldn’t be here with Olympiacos.”