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Shocking revelations from Athens: Panathinaikos foreign players asked to boycott domestic league!

Panathinaikos General Manager Dimitris Kontos has stirred the pot by revealing that the team's foreign players asked club management to pull out of the domestic championship!
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The turmoil in Greek basketball shows no signs of abating, with local media dubbing it the "scandal of the century" after judicial and investigative authorities launched a sweeping probe into alleged match-fixing, referee assignment manipulation, and corruption within the officiating body itself.

The investigation has once again brought the fierce, long-standing rivalry between Panathinaikos and Olympiacos into sharp focus, raising serious questions about the competition's integrity, officiating standards, and the governance of basketball institutions.

Tensions reached a boiling point during the finals, which were marred by bitter mutual accusations, incidents, and clashes between club executives.

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The Greens' general manager opened up about the scenes he witnessed inside the locker room.

"It's not about satisfaction. For anyone working in basketball, taking pleasure in hearing about such atrocities would be a complete oxymoron. Plenty of people knew what was happening and acted as if they didn't—that much is clear. Panathinaikos was treated like the village idiot, subjected to unimaginable penalties, fines, and humiliations. While there is some moral vindication, there are things beyond that. I won't even talk about titles," Kontos emphasized.

"I can tell you for a fact that during the finals, both last year and this year, there were foreign players who asked us not to take the court, to forfeit the games. And these are guys who never cause any trouble. We explained to them that Panathinaikos doesn't run away—that we will stay and fight no matter what. We will neither be relegated nor walk off the floor, because we have to stand up for what we believe in and for what Panathinaikos represents."

As a reminder, Hellenic Basketball Federation President Vangelis Liolios has decided to step away from all basketball-related activities until the legal proceedings launched against him over allegations of illicit conduct and match-fixing are concluded.

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