Fasoulas against Lioliou: “You are distributing money that is not yours”

With its announcement, the “Basket First” faction, of Panagiotis Fasoulas, accuses the administration of Vangelis Lioliou of using unfair means for its re-election in the EEC elections, which will take place in September. “You’re handing out money that isn’t yours in an attempt to sway their opinion of you. You have started the pre-election gifts…”, he mentions among other things and adds: “We respect unions. You, with your actions, not only show disrespect to the cells of Greek basketball, but also to the office, which you can enjoy for another 50 days».

The announcement:

We are told they are “technocrats”. We thought they have something to offer, let’s listen to them. After all, a “technocrat” is someone who knows a specific subject very well, is very good at it, and is called upon to undertake it on behalf of another.

We tried for three years to figure out what art they keep. We didn’t make it. All they keep is the cash register. We knew this, it happens with every administration.

Suddenly words foreign to basketball like “wild card” gained meaning. Why give a “wild card” when the dominant element of sport is competition? If I can buy something, why struggle to get it? And if I can get something for less money and less risk, why bother trying to build a team when 1/3 of the cost buys the position I want?

Why should the “committee of ethics” impose harsh fines, disproportionate to the financial surface of amateur associations? What is this infamous “solidarity fund” and who are we in solidarity with?

“Technocrats” they are, they will know something. Except that we also know. We didn’t expect to see graphs and… pies in PowerPoint to understand that when we are less than two months away from the elections, distributing money to unions, breaking your piggy bank, is a cheap political spectacle, without a trace of art, without a trace of modernity culture.

Mr. Liolio’s masks fell. You’re handing out money that isn’t yours in an attempt to sway their opinion of you. You started the pre-election gifts, you send e-mails offering everything from vouchers to balls and from money (divided in two, to give perspective) to clothes. If they are legal (if) are these gifts also ethical?

Is it true, Mr. Liolio, that they are given to everyone, or only to the… undecided? Do the unions that support you know your benefits, or are they data and in no need of… modernizing? However, our clubs have not received any of your gifts.

We all realize what you are doing, but you are falling out. Basketball has a lot more people with dignity, who don’t even bend over to tie their shoelaces. It has people who don’t back down, not even to get a chance. You will find out on September 15th.

We have held 16 gatherings all over Greece, with OUR money, inviting the unions to talk about their problems. Let’s listen to them, not speak… from the pulpit. We didn’t wave them thousands, we didn’t arrange stadiums, we didn’t treat them as a low-cost franchise.

Because we respect unions. You, with your actions, not only show disrespect to the cells of Greek basketball, but also to the office, which you can enjoy for another 50 days.

We’re stopping for now, but we’ll be back. With this move of yours, the masks fell.

Remember that basketball is different from the great Father’s Day carnival: It doesn’t last forever, neither does immunity, nor does trying to hide who you really are.