Reds walk out of Greek Cup semifinal
The departure of Olympiakos from the court of the Olympic Sports Hall at half-time stained the semifinals of the Greek Cup on Wednesday and meant that Panathinaikos gets a walkover win and will face PAOK in Sunday’s final in Iraklio.
After a very strong showing in the first half, Panathinaikos led Olympiakos 40-25, and looked good for another home win over its Eternal Rival. However the Reds decided to leave in protest of referee decisions on the night, abandoning the semifinal.
Olympiakos officials stated they "do not want to form part of this farcical situation", and leaked that they do not care about the sanctions the club will suffer from this decision. The Reds had also complained to world governing body FIBA before the game about the appointment of the three match officials.
Besides automatic elimination from the Cup, Olympiakos is facing the deduction of at least two points from its league tally, according to regulations.
In the semifinal that was played to the end, PAOK overcame host Kymi 72-61 at Halkida and will play its first final 20 years since its last trophy, also at a Greek Cup final in 1999.
