Dimitrios Giannakopoulos comes back to help Panathinaikos: 'This is unacceptable' / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Panagiotis Moschandreou/GettyImages Credit Panagiotis Moschandreou/GettyImages

Panathinaikos OPAP Athens haven't been the basketball powerhouse that they were previously known as during the recent years.

3-pointers this season

33%7,7Points made:7,7Accuracy:33,2%Place in standings:15Record max:15Record min:1Most made 3FGs:Nemanja NedovicTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

The team lost the Greek League title to its eternal rivals Olympiacos Piraeus after a six-year break. The owner of the club, Dimitrios Giannakopoulos, made a statement on his Instagram account following the defeat.

"As much as you have the right to one or two failures, and as much as the Pantocrator of basketball, this year's image is not acceptable," Giannakopoulos wrote. "Until there is a serious and real interest in the shares of Panathinaikos, we are not allowed to have this image, we are not used to it."

"Many wrong choices were made regardless of whether they seemed ideal at the time they were made. Our responsibility lies with all of us, each from his position. But these are now a thing of the past," the owner writes in the statement.

After distancing himself from the club for 2 years, the extravagant businessman vows to come back and help the club regain its glory. His first job was done off the court a couple of months ago.

In a historic development for the club, the Greece Ministry of Sports has granted Panathinaikos exclusive control of the OAKA arena for the upcoming 49 years this year. Now, he seems to be ready to finance the club again.

"The Euroleague is changing for the better, the current administration is picking up its last things and leaving, with all that this means for Panathinaikos but mainly for the entire European basketball," Giannokopoulos says.

"We are waiting for the signing of the contract for OAKA, which is now our home for the next 49 years," the owner shared. "We will restore normalcy in the Greek basketball. Let everyone be sure of that. The best is ahead of us."

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