Greece NT came away with the victory in the last game of the “Acropolis Tournament” vs Turkey NT with both teams putting up a great show for a sold-out crowd in OAKA. Before the start of the game Greece NT fans booed Turkey’s national anthem.
“Because of this question I have to speak for those who booed. Of course, it’s bad, but it’s not something that can be solved at a press conference,” Greek NT head coach Dimitris Itoudis said after the game.
Some fans restrained from such an approach, and the majority of them applauded Yicigan Sabir, who left the game with an apparent serious foot injury in the third quarter. Itoudis, who is going to coach in Turkey next season, continued by addressing the fans that behaved properly during the anthem.
“I am proud to be Greek, but we have to say what’s bad. Not only me but everyone. I hope that we will reach that level. The essence is that the majority behaved properly during the Turkish national anthem and I don’t want to open a dialogue with those who didn’t.”
Greece and Turkey concluded their preparation on Friday night and now have their sights set on the Basketball World Cup Qualifiers and the EuroBasket. The Greeks will face Serbia and Belgium for the Second Round of the Basketball World Cup Qualifiers.
Meanwhile, the Turks will play Latvia on the road on August 25 and will then host Serbia on August 28 in the Second Round of the Qualifiers.