Panathinaikos: ‘The appointment of a Greek referee in the derby raises suspicions’

In a statement, Panathinaikos commented on the appointment of a Greek referee, specifically Tassos Sidiropoulos, in next Sunday’s (11/9) derby with AEK at Leoforo, stressing that this decision raises suspicions.

We remind you that the President of the EPO, Takis Baltakos, previously issued a statement in which he claimed that he had nothing to do with the definition, while claiming that he would speak to the chief arbiter, Steve Bennett, in order to to express his concerns.

The detailed announcement of Panathinaikos:

“In principle, PAE Panathinaikos would like to support the institution of Greek arbitration as long as a solid foundation is laid by the international associations with the help of the committee of recent years.

However, sudden changes and decisions, such as the appointment of a Greek referee in the Panathinaikos-AEK derby, give rise to suspicion and pathogenicity, and it is unthinkable that they occur without prior consultation of all institutional bodies.

The administration of PAE Panathinaikos considered the change of referee and the appointment of a foreign referee for the Sunday derby as a given and imperative from the first moment and expresses its satisfaction because – from Wednesday afternoon – it is reacting in all directions, including the President of the EPO, Mr Baltakou, brought results and in the end the obvious triumphed”.