It is not a prerequisite for the owners of Panathinaikos and Olympiacos basketball clubs, Dimitris Giannakopoulos and the Angelopoulos brothers, to sit at the same table in order to avoid the interruption of the championship, clarified this morning by government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis and Deputy Minister of Sports, Giannis Vroutsis.

As they said in their television interviews, what is being sought is that both sides make clear statements for the smooth conduct of the games, without toxicity and with rules of decency.

“The point is not for them to sit at the same table but to come and make clear statements for the smooth conduct of the games, as the law dictates,” said Mr. Marinakis on MEGA, explaining that “some statements need to be made that will send the message that people will go to the stadium to watch a basketball game and not a war-like scenario.”

“In parallel with this, whether chants were heard, or there were unlawful actions – investigations into these are proceeding normally. That is not the job of the government but of the justice system. The government sees a phenomenon that is getting out of hand and says: let’s have a clear meeting with the Deputy Minister of Sports and make clear statements so the championship can proceed as normal,” Marinakis continued.

“The same table is not an end in itself. I believe that sitting at the same table should not be a problem, but it’s not an end in itself. The goal is the clear assurance of the smooth conduct of the games by both parties. Beyond that, individual behavior and responsibility come into play,” the government spokesperson concluded.

Vroutsis’ statements earlier were along the same lines, leaving open the possibility that the Basket League championship might not be interrupted even if Dimitris Giannakopoulos and the Angelopoulos brothers attend the meeting separately after 3 PM at the Ministry of Education.

“After 3 PM, we are expecting the club owners to make that declaration, that clear statement, to send a message that the championship will continue with rules of decency, without toxicity, and that they are committed to upholding it,” Mr. Vroutsis said on Action24 this morning.

Clarifying further, following a related question about whether it is a prerequisite for the owners of Panathinaikos and Olympiacos to meet together, Mr. Vroutsis said: “The prerequisite is their attendance after 3 PM. The prerequisite is the statement to Greek society – everything else is not a priority.”

“They must attend, it is important that both come, that the statements are made, and that they commit themselves,” he added.

He also stated: “The issue of exemplary fan behavior in the stands does not concern chants but violence. For verbal abuse, the referees have the jurisdiction to stop the game – the state cannot do that, it cannot play the role of the referee. The state cannot act as referee, policeman, and official all at once, but it does establish rules.”

“I hope and believe that both sides will attend, I hope and believe that the necessary statements will be made, I hope and believe that the championship will continue as the fans want,” Giannis Vroutsis concluded.

The shift from Giannakopoulos and the ‘no’ from the Angelopoulos brothers
The change in stance from the two clubs came from the side of the Panathinaikos owner.

Dimitris Giannakopoulos, although in the early hours of Tuesday stated via Instagram that “…no one has the right to ask me to sit at the same table with those who showed complete indifference to yesterday’s events,” in the morning, as revealed by Mr. Vroutsis, informed him that he would indeed attend the meeting.

This raised some hopes for a broader shift, but on Olympiacos’ side, not only was there no change, but early in the morning a new video surfaced capturing everything the Panathinaikos president said in the tunnel of the locker rooms (when he was not allowed to return to the court).

The news of the day, however, was the reappearance—after 48 hours of silence—of ESAKE. For those unfamiliar, this is the organizing body of the championship, and what it requested from Mr. Vroutsis was “…for the finals to continue and for the championship to conclude smoothly.” They also analyzed all the data and problems that would arise in the event of a suspension (many of which were already reported yesterday).

Its institutional intervention, however, had no effect, and the pessimism that prevailed at the Ministry of Sports was confirmed late in the afternoon. Despite the official statement by Dimitris Giannakopoulos, in which he definitively stated he would meet Giannis Vroutsis (with the necessary digs at the Angelopoulos brothers’ stance), Olympiacos issued a double statement (plus a post on X later in the evening), indicating that only a miracle could prevent a shutdown of this season’s championship.

“We want the championship to continue. We refuse to sit at the same table with the abusive and law-breaking D. Giannakopoulos,” the first statement said, and shortly after came the (very lengthy) second one, detailing the actions of the Panathinaikos strongman, once again showing they remain immovable in their positions.

In between, there was the official statement from Mr. Giannakopoulos, who, among other things, said: “I will set aside any animosity and be present at Mr. Vroutsis’ office, awaiting the Olympiacos owners, in order to uphold the terms set by the government.”