Marinakis to Bennett: “And Dabanovic is first class – Go hard and find good referees”

Intense criticism, harsh characterizations and pressure on Steve Bennett to seek and find referees for the playoff games by Vangelis Marinakis. The president of Olympiakos in his words to the president of KED invited him not to repeat definitions like… Dabanovic and to find referees as all the teams are asking for it…

“You have to pick up the phones and talk to all the federations, all the referees you have known in these 30 years that you told us in your CV, which of course you should have given us in August and not today. But in reality you deliberately do not bring good referees for the simple reason that you want us to reach the conclusion that the Greeks are better. And so let Mandalos define his friends as he does to this day. It got away from you and you said something against what we have agreed as Big-4 and against what we have voted at the level of professional football and in the EPO Executive Committee. We tell you to help everyone to come good referees since you can’t. You tell the world fairy tales that Olympiacos will bring them referees, Marinakis will bring them. So find them yourself. But know that if elite referees and top first division referees from top leagues do not come we will not let the team go to slaughter. The league has changed enough”said Vangelis Marinakis as leaked by Olympiakos.

Then Vangelis Marinakis said:

“We repeat for the thousandth time because you act like you don’t understand. Elite referees or referees from the first division and only from the top ten leagues. We do not agree with these empty words and announcements that referees are coming from the entire first category. And Dabanovic is first class. Is this how you want the league to go? Do you think it will end? So I say it again Mr. Bennett. Go ahead, I don’t know what you’re going to do. Find good referees in the features we told you about. All the teams ask for it and you have no excuse. And the fact that you admitted that Mandalos is your vice-president and makes the decisions, is something that all of Greece knows. This explains why some people knew the definitions days before, with all that entails. And you are talking about pure football”concluded.