Panathinaikos send letter of complaint to EuroLeague over Fenerbahce game officials / News - Basketnews.com

Following Panathinaikos' loss to Fenerbahce, the Greens sent a letter of protest to the EuroLeague, citing the referees' mistakes.

Credit: Vangelis Stolis Credit Vangelis Stolis

Panathinaikos Athens left their EuroLeague Round 18 game vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul empty-handed. The Greens suffered their 12th loss in the season at the hands of the Turkish side after a 45-minute duel that was decided in overtime.

Player of the Game EFF 30 Nigel Hayes-Davis Points 24 Accuracy 9-12 Rebounds 4 Assists 2

The Greens, however, claim that referees Robert Lottermoser, Juan Carlos Garcia and Uros Nikolic turned a blind eye to a foul by Devin Booker on Mateusz Ponitka with only five seconds left to play, and the game tied at 78 apiece.

Booker unlawfully stretched his left hand to steal the ball from the Polish forward. The ball went out of bounds, with refs consulting the instant replay and handing possession to Panathinaikos.

According to several reports, during the review, game officials took notice of the violation. Juan Carlos Garcia allegedly admitted to coach Dejan Radonjic and his coaching staff that the play had escaped their attention, but added that nothing could be done since there had been no call.

In the play that followed, Dwayne Bacon took an off-balance shot from mid-range. After his miss, Ponitka had another chance from close range, but he misfired as well. The contest went to overtime, where Fenerbahce prevailed, snapping a five-game losing streak.

The Greens decided to send a letter to the EuroLeague's Senior Director of Officiating, Richard Stokes, complaining about the referees' decisions in the game.

According to SDNA, EuroLeague sources confirm that Garcia is expected to be sanctioned for his decisions in Tuesday's showdown.

A few days ago, referee Aare Haliko received a four-game suspension for failing to whistle Nikola Mirotic's out-of-bounds violation before the Montenegrin forward hit the 3-point shot that tied FC Barcelona's contest against hosts Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade.

Free throws this season

73%15,6Points made:15,6Accuracy:73,0%Place in standings:6Record max:25Record min:5Most made FTs:Dwayne BaconTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

The EuroLeague had issued a statement confirming the mistake, while Mirotic himself essentially admitted that he had stepped on the line before releasing the ball and sending the game to the extra time.

"Seriously? I didn't know. That's new information for me. You see what the referees are like... How come they don't whistle? I'm shocked, honestly," Mirotic told the media.

"These things shouldn't happen, given that we have so many cameras and systems for monitoring events on the court. I have no doubts about what is being said, I believe I stepped on the line but I didn't know it until now."

Another EuroLeague club, Virtus Segafredo Bologna, has decided to take action against bad calls. According to journalist Dario Ronzulli, the Italian side has sent an official letter to the EuroLeague, asking to send a review of the refereeing during their Round 19 game vs.Olympiacos Piraeusthat saw several questionable calls by the refereeing crew.

A controversial foul was called onSemi Ojeleyewith Olympiacos up by three. On top of that,Milos Teodosicreceived two technical fouls and was ejected for the second time this season.

"Coaches and players make mistakes, and so do the referees. Especially in the last minutes. But I don't remember, and I am quite old, such a huge series of refereeing mistakes," head coachSergio Scariolosaid of refereeing after the game.

"I am going to rewatch everything, but I'm flipping," he added.

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