Greece barely managed to advance to the next round of World Cup qualifying. Following the final loss to Portugal, Coach Vassilis Spanoulis had some harsh words for his team.
The Greeks lost 56–71 to Portugal and finished the group stage—which also included Montenegro and Romania—in third place with a 3–3 record.
“That was our worst international window,” Spanoulis grumbled after the game. “Maybe we still had last year’s medal from the European Championship on our minds.” Greece finished third at that tournament, but the tournament’s big names, such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, weren’t part of this squad.
“We performed very poorly. This was a team that the fans don’t want to see in these golden times. They want to be proud of their country, but we’ve let them down. Everyone who was on the court today should apologize.” Spanoulis also said that his team had come across as “arrogant” and hadn’t been in the necessary physical condition.
Spanoulis Speaks Out
Instead, the coach made it clear that something had to change. “In the next window, all the players will be there. Anyone who’s healthy has to be with the team, just like me.” Spanoulis also emphasized once again that the players’ fitness left much to be desired and that the overall development of Greek basketball was lacking.
“Did anyone today prove that they belong on the national team? That was pure torture. That wasn’t coaching—it was torture for me,” said the former AS Monaco coach.
Things won’t get any easier for the Greeks, though. In Group I, Greece is currently in fifth place; in the upcoming window at the end of August, they’ll face Ukraine (4-2) and Spain (5-1), both of which are ahead of Greece in the standings. Only the top three teams from each group will advance to the 2027 World Cup in Qatar