AEK’s press officer, Kyriakos Dimitriou, spoke to “SPOR FM 95.0.”
He began by addressing the team’s complaints regarding refereeing and officiating decisions, emphasizing that the “yellow-and-greens” will file a complaint against the VAR official.
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He also discussed the team’s performance and injuries, and touched on the upcoming match against Omonia on May 29.
Here is what he said in detail
Regarding complaints about refereeing decisions: “There was a penalty foul on Miramón by a Paphos player, and VAR didn’t show anything. A few seconds later, out of the play, Miramon was fouled again, and once more VAR should have intervened but didn’t. In the 92nd and 93rd minutes, there were classic VAR situations, and it did not intervene. We’ve already decided that later today we’ll send a letter to the Federation filing a complaint against the VAR official. They’re obligated to review the plays.”
On whether there have been previous incidents: “Once again, he was the VAR in a match against Akritas, and once again we had complained about his decisions.”
On what needs to happen: “We’ll see how things play out with the upcoming meeting. Last year, if you recall, we made statements on this very show that refereeing needs to keep pace with the growth of our soccer, and it isn’t. Something has to change.”
On whether foreign referees should be brought in: “Some things go without saying. We can’t go on like this.”
On the match: “It was a result we didn’t want. We believe it was a game in which, at a certain point, we managed to regain our balance. The issue is that our opponent managed to take the lead due to a lapse in our team’s concentration. We tried to respond, but the ball hit the crossbar. Just as we said after our victories over APOEL and Nea Salamina, we can say today that there’s plenty of room for improvement moving forward.”
On Paleari: “He couldn’t have done anything about the goal he conceded. On the contrary, he made some excellent saves earlier in the game. I can say he did very well in his debut. Oliván and Anderegen also made their debuts. We’re still bringing in new players, and we need time to improve our performance. We’re well aware of the unique circumstances of this season—with a coaching change three days before the first game and new players joining at the last minute. We need time.”
Regarding the time change for the game against Omonia 29M: “It’s a decision by the police. We’ll also be getting 300 tickets in the main stands. We’re approaching the game with respect, and we mustn’t forget that Omonia 29M. could have been in first place right now if not for a few seconds.”
On the injured players: “Amin is returning after his break. We’re evaluating Samborit every day. Last week he wasn’t able to pick up the pace, so we’ll see how he does today. Bajić is expected to play as usual.”
