Olympiakos is relegated from the Basket League

Greek basketball was dealt a devastating blow on Monday as Olympiakos eventually chose not to show up for the play-off match against Panathinaikos, which means the automatic relegation of the Reds to the A2 division.

It brings to an end almost 100 days of ruthless clash of the Piraeus club - one of Greece's and Europe's most successful - with the basketball federation, the league, and the other 13 teams of the Basket League which opposed the Reds' desire to suspend the league until the rules are changed and foreign referees are introduced.

Olympiakos has therefore lost Game 1 of the quarterfinal series with a 20-0 score, is going to be relegated and will likely choose to field a youth team in next season's A2 division, while featuring as normal in the Euroleague and possibly in the ASdriatic League, the league of the former Yugoslav republics.

Panathinaikos...