Panathinaikos hosted Olympiacos in the derby between the eternal rivals for the opening game of the Greek men’s volleyball league on Monday, with the red-and-whites walking away with a 2-3 win after what can only be described as a great battle. However, the spark that lit the flame between the two teams came on the tie-break set of the game, when the score was 12-11 for the home team.
Alexandros Raptis served the ball and scored an ace, however the referee ruled that the ball was out of the bounds, giving the point to Olympiacos. This was the start of the counter-attack that led to the Peiraeus’ team victory.
Panathinaikos complained to the referee however nothing seemed to change his ruling, with some members of the team going so far as to call it a ‘theft’, while others claimed that it was extremely unfair.
After the game, the team and its president, Dimitirs Giannakopoulos, released a harsh statement: “Unfortunately, the championship has begun with an obvious theft against the Panathinaikos Athletic Club against OCFP (Olympiacos) at Kipseli. We did everything possible in order to uphold the agreement and respect the rules and the sport. We would like to inform the Volleyball League, the Volleyball Federation and the Referee Committee that this was the first and final theft against the athletes of our club. Forget what you knew. You will respect Panathinaikos.”
In response to this, Olympiacos released their own statement, extending an olive branch as they suggested the game be repeated from a certain part of it: “Olympiacos CFP would like to officially inform the Volleyball League, the Volleyball Federation and any other official authority that it wishes for the repeat of the game, in order to restore the sense of justice. PS. We wish the new president of Panathinaikos will show the same sensitivity to all the sports in which he is in charge of. PS2. To avoid any misunderstandings, our desire is clear and is not ironic in any way. We will contribute towards this end, towards anything Panathinaikos may need, so that the game may be held again with people in the stands. However a basic condition is the placement of taraflex on the field, so that the same mistakes cannot be repeated.”
Taraflex is a form of softer flooring that absorbs the impact and allows for safer exercising and is mostly used in other sports such as handball. Panathinaikos released a further response in which they accepted the proposal, yet the Volleyball Federation has not replied if they will accept this request from the two teams. The president of the referee committee, Vasilis Antonoulis however commented that a replay of the game is not foreseen by the rules, despite the common request of boards of the two teams.
