Bartzokas: “Targeted propaganda against me – I don’t feel alone, I have the support of all the Olympians”

For propaganda against him with the aim of… expelling him from him Olympic spoke o George Bartzokas giving the press conference after the victory over Prometheus a sequel to what he said a few minutes ago to the ERT camera. The coach of Piraeus complained that he was insulted by the court seats at OAKA, he said that he was blamed for his behavior while in the same match he was not sent off as he should have Ergin Atamanwhile he noted that he feels that he has the support of all the friends of Olympiakos as well as the administration.

“The state is joined, not created now. I think it’s three years straight. Obviously it has something to do with the results we had in Europe and in the league. With what was done, we helped to increase the interest in Greek basketball and I can analyze it with numbers. The revenues, the numbers, the budgets of the teams, the traffic of the sites went up… I have the feeling that basketball is flourishing again. Olympiacos went twice to the Final 4, created expectations that Greek basketball can be at the top of Europe even if its budget is 1/3 compared to other teams. It is an organization that has been loved by the fans of our team for the fact that it is a team that fights, that it has good chemistry among its individuals, that fights in every game and played very good basketball by the general admission of all European analysts. Because we beat Panathinaikos so many times in a row, we won seven consecutive titles, Panathinaikos invested a lot of money to beat us. This is only good for Panathinaikos, you see how it turned out. So to a certain extent we did them a favor too“, he initially reported.

“If I look at it from a distance, I would say that he is already honoring me. Mr. Giannakopoulos with what he says and those around him with what they write have made me want to leave Olympiakos. That honors me, they obviously think I’m doing something good for the team. I obviously treat it that way. I took it with humor when he said I’m 1.90m – which I’m not, I’m 2m – but I’m a small person. One, two, five, ten… I don’t have social media, they sent it to me. I also thought that I am also one of those whom Mr. Giannakopoulos targets from time to time in attacks. I have no social media, no website behind me, nor have I ever asked Olympiakos to support this thing because I believe it is toxic. Everything I have to do in the relationship with the opponents, I have them with the coaches, my colleagues. And the eight that Mr. Giannakopoulos has changed during my second career at Olympiakos, because he has changed so many in these 4-4.5 years, you can ask them if I respected them, if I welcomed them with professionalism and with warmth and what relationships I have even after they left. I have no doubt that as far as my colleagues are concerned I was as I should be. What happens is that all this systematic propaganda, you all understand, is targeted and they isolate a word. They don’t see what else I’ve said. They might put the worst photo I’m in tension. They are very organized and systematic, even people who make three spelling mistakes in the word Kalamata. There was a Mr. Boukouras who insults me every time, I thought he was a non-existent person and they showed me an interview with Jerian Grant and I saw that he exists. I say, ok, accept whatever happens, it’s in the rules of the game. Those who are in the court seats at OAKA can curse me, tell my child to die, curse my dead mother, get cancer, these are the most lenient things I say to you. At the same time they are shooting with the mobile phone. If I don’t answer, they put it on social media so their friends can see how nice they cursed me, if I do answer sometimes they use it for propaganda. Sometimes I answer too. I am judged by what happens on the field. With Ephesus I was diverted and expelled. Ataman entered the field twice in the derby and was not sent off. Then my behavior was the problem“, he added.

“I was completely blown away by our team’s announcement and I thank them for that. I don’t feel alone, because I am the coach of Olympiakos, not because I am Bartzokas. I feel the love and support of the whole mass that we have as sports fans. United we will do our best for our team“, he continued.

Closing this chapter he said: “… condolences to Ergin on the loss of his father and to his family».

Finally, about the match with Prometheus he said: “We had good times and bad times. Prometheus is always a serious team, very good in iso, with good defensive rules and we had to play seriously at times to win. But we did frivolous things when we had a big difference. Our players must now show seriousness and readiness for the big meetings ahead of us».