SPORTS

AEK stays up, court sends Ilisiakos to A2

AEK’s relegation to the A2 has been averted for now as an Athens court ruled on April 28 that there is a conflict of interest for Ilisiakos strongman Tasos Delibaltadakis, who is also a basketball player agent. The decision means that Ilisiakos will be sent to the A2 instead.

AEK, which finished second to last in the regular season, one point behind Ilisiakos, had appealed to the court, asking for Ilisiakos to be expelled from the A1 due to Delibaltadakis’s alleged ownership of the club.

Although Delibaltadakis is not officially the owner or president of the Zografou team, he has almost always acted as the club?s representative at the meetings of ESAKE, the league’s organizer, and AEK produced e-mails and press reports suggesting that he introduced himself as the owner of the club.

AEK went on to question the finances of the official president of Ilisiakos, suggesting that he could not possibly afford to maintain an A1 side on his own.

The court accepted AEK’s case and issued a verdict that sends Ilisiakos down to the A2 division, with the club having the right to appeal the decision at the Supreme Council for the Resolution of Sport Disputes (ASEAD).

Kathimerini understands that Delibaltadakis represents more than half of all A1 players.

ESAKE decided at an emergency meeting on April 28 to ratify the final table of the A1 and go ahead with the playoffs, although Ilisiakos’s expulsion may mean the pairings may have to change.

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