Olympiacos FC again struck back on Thursday evening, shortly after a reply by the Hellenic Football Federation (EPO), calling out Baltakos, Bennett and Mantalos, and underlining that they are ‘incompetent, liars and staged’ – referring to the president of the Greek football federation (EPO), the head referee and a member of EPO’s central officiating committee (KED).

The “Reds”, after scathing criticism against the Greek federation, subsequently shot down the latter’s replies regarding the provocation entailed with the appointment of a referee from a lesser league to officiate the Panathinaikos-Olympiacos derby on Sunday.

The Piraeus side also makes it clear that the “Greens” are also up in arms over this specific appointment.

Yet again, Olympiacos exposed EPO, Baltakos and Bennett, as its official position reiterated that «if you can’t, resign. All of you».

The pro club’s answer to EPO’s announcement regarding the appointment of a referee for Sunday’s derby states:

«Once again you lie and provoke! You claim that you had appointed an elite referee from Israel (obviously, Orel Grinfeld, since there’s no other elite Israeli ref) but he cited a problem.

You admit that with the mediation and assistance of UEFA you made a request to the German and Italian federations for elite referees. Why only these two, gentlemen?

Because you’re incompetent (since you say you used intermediaries to contact these federations) and you are also on a MISSION to undermine the game!

In the elite category, if we remove the four Germans and two Italians of the category, along with the Israeli, and also the unfathomable Sidiropoulos, there are another 22 elite referees from 15 (!) federations. Why didn’t you ask for them?

Why didn’t you ask for first division referees from England (2), Spain (2), France (3), Germany (2), Italy (3), Portugal (3) and Belgium (2), before you came upon the Croatian referee?

The reason is you didn’t you want to!

Because you are on a mission, gentlemen! You ignore what professional football has unanimously agreed to; you ignore what the State is asking at the highest level, after the contacts between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin, who immediately responded in the positive. You ignore the stirring ‘cauldron’ of enraged fans!

You are incompetent, liars and STAGED!

As you see, our opponents in Sunday’s match also expressed displeasure with the appointment of this referee.

So, go back and call UEFA today, as well as the national federations of the elite and advanced leagues, the ones you didn’t seek out, and change this appointment immediately!

If you can’t, resign. All of you.»

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