Final Four – Vangelis Liolios: “2,500 t-shirts will be distributed with the message ‘It’s not a war, it’s a celebration’

On the eve of the Greek Cup Final Four, Vangelis Liolios highlighted the steps the EWG has taken to bring the celebration of the sport back into everyday basketball, while declaring that 2,500 t-shirts will be distributed to all those in play in “Dyo Aorakia” for the next three days, t-shirts with a clear message.

Details of what the President of the Federation said:

“I’ve said it many times, journalism is a function because it gets the message across to the fans. I would like to thank the Crete Region, who helped us a lot with the organization, as well as the Municipality of Heraklion and the Local Association, and personally Mr. Babis Markakis, who was with us from the very first moment. Motto and motto for us at the Final Four is that it’s a celebration, not a war.

That’s why 2,500 T-shirts with the slogan “It’s not a war, it’s a celebration” will be distributed to all fans and especially to the children in the semi-finals and in the final.

Whatever happens on the ground, we all need to be united outside of it. Isolate the few who distort the sport’s image. In the near future we will continue to show the positive sign of sport and not the bad mask.

I believe that with the input and contribution from all of you, the message can be spread to the sane fans. The next day is a day for all of us. We’re here to grow basketball, to help more kids rejoice and celebrate, maybe to mourn because there are wins and losses in life. I also wanted to tell you that after this year’s Final Four, if all goes well, we intend to go to a very nice Final Eight next year“.

When asked about Final Four tickets, he replied: “Know that what has been done this year will be different than what is planned for next year’s Final Eight. For the Final Four, we discussed with the teams and agreed that, for everyone’s safety and to avoid the usual suspects, ticket distribution should be handled directly by the EEC and the Local Union. The teams received some invitations. The movement of fans was not allowed, it was banned. In Crete everyone knows everyone and it is easier to control the situation.

Of course we have taken all the measures where everyone will sit. The contribution and involvement of the police is important. A second issue that we are looking into very closely is that the health protocol is being followed very strictly both on and off the pitch. Next year we are aiming for a different way of selling tickets. “Whoever enters the stadium, there are three different controls, with ID, certificate and ticket/invitation”.

For his part, Nikos Nikolopoulos (Secretary General) stated: “The picture of the board alone reveals the new form of the final phase of the cup. It is not new but forgotten because it was last organized 18 years ago. The aim and idea of ​​the new federal administration is to upgrade all areas. In this context, we see this event as a step towards a Greek Cup upgrade that we all want. We are confident that this upgrade will be a success to give the impetus to go even further. I think we’re going to be talking about a celebration on Sunday night. In addition to the Final Four games, activities with 3on3 and a symbolic tree planting will take place on Saturday when the weather is fine. I would like to thank the Crete Region, the Municipality of Heraklion and all the relevant bodies. I am sure that we will all be happy on Sunday evening“.

When asked that the health protocol is changing from Saturday 19 February with 50% fullness at stadiums, he replied: “We’ve managed to get 2,000 people into tomorrow’s games, capacity isn’t far off going to 50%. There is a procedure very strictly followed by the police to provide the names to be checked. I don’t know if we’ll be able to add more people to the game of the finals. We are awaiting police approval. Since most of the tickets on the list are available, these people obviously have information on how to get them. In detail, we do not yet know whether they can be given. If this problem occurs, you will all be informed“.