European basketball giants Panathinaikos disinfected their stadium after fierce rivals Olympiacos won a major final there.
Basketball team Panathinaikos AKTOR launched a huge cleaning operation at their 19,000-capacity T-Center Athens arena following claims fans urinated and spat in the stands during the EuroLeague Final Four earlier this month.
Pictures released by the club showed an army of cleaners dressed in white hazmat suits and masks walking through the stands carrying out a deep clean.
It came after bitter rivals Olympiacos beat Fenerbahçe Beko in the semi-finals before overcoming Real Madrid 92-85 in the EuroLeague final on May 24.
Panathinaikos were knocked out before the Final Four stage by Valencia Basket.
The extraordinary operation reportedly followed unrest and unruly behaviour from supporters during the tournament.
A source claimed to SunSport that fans urinated and spat in the stands, while rubbish and coffee were allegedly thrown around the arena.
The source also alleged seats had been stamped on and damaged.
According to Sport24, Turkish side Fenerbahce also complained about poor crowd control and breaches of security measures when they played Olympiacos.
European basketball giants Panathinaikos disinfected their stadium after fierce rivals Olympiacos won a major final there
Basketball team Panathinaikos AKTOR launched a huge cleaning operation at their 19,000-capacity T-Center Athens arena following claims fans urinated and spat in the stands during the EuroLeague Final Four earlier this month
Pictures released by the club showed an army of cleaners dressed in white hazmat suits and masks walking through the stands carrying out a deep clean
The fallout led Panathinaikos to terminate its contract with the security company responsible for guarding the stadium, according to reports.
With the team back in action against PAOK in the Stoiximan GBL semi-finals on Wednesday, the club confirmed on social media that the venue had undergone a full cleaning process ahead of fans returning.
Alongside the images of cleaners in protective suits, the club said: ‘The disinfection and deep cleaning process in the areas and stands of the T-Center has been completed, so they are ready to welcome back the fans of Panathinaikos AKTOR.’
The T-Center is the largest indoor arena in Greece and forms part of the Athens Olympic Sports Complex.
Panathinaikos are the most successful club in Greek basketball history, having won a record 40 league titles, more than double Olympiacos’ tally of 16 championships.
The fierce rivals are on course to meet once again in this season’s playoff final.
