There is intense dissatisfaction among Panathinaikos supporters toward UEFA.
The reason is the refereeing decisions in yesterday’s match against Hradec Králové, which distorted the result and, the situation ahead of the return leg in the Czech Republic.
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This is a pattern that has also been observed in other matches the team has played in recent years during its European campaigns, stemming from the decisions made by UEFA’s refereeing officials.
Choices that reveal a lack of respect. A lack of respect that is not limited to a single game, a single referee, or a single incorrect call, but a series of incidents in European competitions, with the most recent and particularly telling example being what happened yesterday at the OAKA.
Panathinaikos officials state that it is impossible to ignore the frequency with which high-stakes decisions have gone against the club in European matches in recent years. And when such incidents pile up, it’s only natural to get the impression that the club isn’t being treated with the respect it deserves.
Yesterday’s game is the latest addition to this chain of events.
For example, in yesterday’s match against Panathinaikos, with the team leading 2–0, a cross by Pelistri resulted in a handball inside the box and a potential penalty—at a moment when the score could have become 3-0 and the match could have taken on the air of a triumph.
Shortly thereafter, just before Hradec Králové scored to make it 2-1, there was an offensive foul on Kyriakopoulos, while on the goal that tied the match at 2-2, there was a clear foul on the wall—reminiscent of… Sidiropoulos—that should have resulted in the goal being disallowed via VAR. There is one more play, which may not be reflected in the score, but is considered indicative of the overall refereeing performance.
After the 2-0 score, Pelistri broke through on the left flank on a counterattack, and the play was halted for an offside call… A “minor detail” that, combined with what happened during the Czech goals and the penalty kick that wasn’t awarded to us, further intensifies the concerns of the Panathinaikos staff.
But there have also been instances in previous seasons for which the Greens have every reason to complain.
In August 2022, in the Slavia Prague–Panathinaikos 2–0 match, the referee sent off Palacios in the 40th minute with a second yellow card for falling inside the box after being tackled, even though the Argentine didn’t even ask for a penalty. A decision that left Panathinaikos with ten players and decisively affected the balance of the match and their chances of advancing, since the Argentine also missed the second leg.
In August 2023, during the Panathinaikos–Braga 0–1 match, no penalty was called when Fonte stepped on Mancini inside the box. A few months later, against Maccabi Haifa, the Israelis’ second goal was preceded by a foul by Kornou on Mancini, and in the ensuing play, there was controversy over Pierro’s position in front of Lodigin and his influence on the play.
In August 2024, during the Ajax–Panathinaikos match, no penalty was called when Hatto stepped on Ioannidis in the 8th minute. In October of the same year, in Banja Luka, Vukčević handled the ball on a shot by Maksimović, while Borac’s goal resulted from a non-existent foul call.
A month later, against Djurgården in Stockholm, there was a foul on Ioannidis before the Swedes’ 2-1 goal. In stoppage time of that same match, Stal, who had already received a yellow card in the 18th minute, struck Mladenović with his elbow without being sent off, while the Panathinaikos player was shown a card for protesting…
In July 2025, in Glasgow against Rangers, Vagiannidis was sent off in the 58th minute, a decision that greatly influenced the course of the match. In February 2026, in the Viktoria Plzeň–Panathinaikos match, a penalty was not called when Tetei was brought down in the 59th minute, in a game that also saw a red card against us.
Last March, in the Betis–Panathinaikos 4–0 match, on the play leading to the 2-0 goal, Ezalzuli was offside at the start of the play, with the Spanish player kicking the ball into the air knowing he was offside. The foul was not called, play continued, and the play resulted in a goal, with no intervention from VAR.
Panathinaikos emphasizes that it does not seek preferential treatment. It does, however, demand respect.
When, over the course of four years, there have been so many decisions at ten critical moments in European matches, which directly influence the course of the game or alter the outcome—and when such situations continue to recur—it cannot remain silent.
It asks for nothing more than what it is entitled to. But it will not settle for anything less than: equality before the law, a level playing field, and the respect befitting its glorious history
*photo source: KYPE
