Greek professional basketball players announced late on Thursday they are starting a long-term strike, which is postponing the start of the new league season, originally scheduled for Saturday.
The league organisers decided then on Friday to postpone the opening round of games by one week, until the weekend October 23-24.
The Panhellenic Association of Professional Basketball Players (PSAK) announced its members voted 151 to 24 in favour of abstaining from league games until the state satisfies the players’ demands.
“Basketball does not exist in this country anymore. Let the championship begin next year,” said PSAK president Lazaros Papadopoulos, the PAOK forward.
Just like at the start of last season, PSAK is asking for social security for the players of the A2 division, for the application of the law regarding clubs that cannot prove their solvency in time, and the increase of the guarantee money each club has to submit at the start of every season.
PSAK insists that the bill that would satisfy the demands of the players has been drafted for about one year but has not been submitted to Parliament to become law, therefore leaving players without the cover they require.
League organiser ESAKE announced on Friday after its meeting that it is putting off the first round by one week, while threatening that any players who do not take part in their teams’ activity will suffer financial or other penalties, such as termination of contracts.
“Our intention is to allow players some time to revise their decision and redefine their attitude for the benefit of Greek basketball,” the ESAKE statement suggested on Friday.
What is more, Thanassis Giannakopoulos, the brother of Panathinaikos president threatened that next year Panathinaikos might join another league.
It remains unknown when the strike will end, but teams playing in Europe will have the players at their disposal as normal.
On Monday Olympiakos enter the Euroleague facing Real Madrid at home, while three days later Panathinaikos visit Valencia.