Di Stefano’s death was the reason why Lasso was not released for Katsikaris in 2014

It is known that Fotis Katsikaris had reached an agreement with Real Madrid in 2014 and would succeed Pablo Lasso. However, something happened at the last minute and the agreement did not materialize. After all, that “something” was… the death of Alfredo Di Stefano.

That’s what Pablo Lasso claims in the book he published about his 11-year spell at Real (2011-2022), in which he explores what happened on and off the pitch in Madrid.

At one point in the book he refers to the summer of 2014 when all of Europe was expecting his sacking and Fotis Katsikaris was preparing to replace him. Until the death of the Real legend changed the facts.

Specifically, he writes in the book: “One morning in early July, I got a call from a friend who owned a bar. And he told me that Fotis Katsikaris, the Bilbao coach at the time, came by. And during the conversation he said he was on his way to Madrid to sign for Real.

Then Lasso says, closing things out: “There were newspaper reports that assumed I would be fired. But on July 7, Alfredo Di Stefano died. Then at Real, it was decided that his death was more important than who would coach the club’s basketball team.

Di Stefano’s funeral brought everything to a halt. Any communication. Nobody sent faxes. Although everything has shown that I will not continue. I finally stayed.

As a reminder, in the 2014/15 season, Real won the EuroLeague for the first time in 20 years. That title was to keep Lasso in place, with the Vasco coach seemingly immobile from then until he was suddenly sacked for medical reasons in 2022.