Fenerbahce Blasts EuroLeague Over Failures in Final Four Ticketing

(MENAFN) Fenerbahce Beko launched a stinging attack on EuroLeague on Saturday, holding the organization directly responsible for what the Turkish club described as a cascade of technical and operational failures that crippled the ticketing process ahead of its Final Four semifinal against Olympiacos.

In an official statement published on the club's website, Fenerbahce detailed how problems originating on the EuroLeague side the evening before the May 22 semifinal snowballed into a full collapse of the ticketing system — with disruptions persisting until the moment the game tipped off. The club revealed that postponing the match had even been considered at one point during the chaos.

Fenerbahce said its overriding priority from the moment the Final Four field was set had been to secure the maximum number of tickets for its supporters and guarantee fans could enter the arena "safely, smoothly and without issues."

"However, the chain of technical and operational problems that started on the EuroLeague side the night before the game and extended to the collapse of the ticketing system could not be resolved until the start of the match," the statement said.

Club officials and staff — including board members Adem Koz and Cem Ciritci — spent the day working the arena perimeter, entry points and turnstiles in an attempt to contain the damage and shield supporters from the fallout. Shortly before tipoff, the club made additional interventions to facilitate entry for fans who had either not completed the ticketing process or were unable to retrieve their tickets.

Fenerbahce said all relevant data pertaining to fans who had requested and paid for tickets through official club channels had been fully transmitted to EuroLeague organizers. It attributed the disruptions to the fragmented nature of Final Four ticketing, which was processed across multiple platforms and systems beyond the club's reach or oversight.

The club confirmed it would pursue the matter through both administrative and legal channels on behalf of fans affected by what it branded an "unacceptable process."

Board member Ciritci extended the criticism further in a series of posts on X, the US social media platform, painting a damaging picture of the scene outside the Athens arena. He described ticketed Fenerbahce supporters — many of whom had traveled considerable distances — being stranded at the gates, families torn apart in the disorder, seating arrangements descending into chaos, and rival fans occupying sections reserved for Fenerbahce.

Ciritci also took direct aim at allegations circulating among supporters that approximately 5,000 Olympiacos fans without valid tickets were waved into the arena, calling on EuroLeague to provide a "clear, concrete and satisfactory explanation."

"If it is true that ticketless individuals were admitted while ticket-holding supporters were kept outside, this is no longer a simple organizational failure, but a direct violation of fan rights and a collapse of organizational credibility," he said.

In a separate statement, Ciritci moved to defend Fenerbahce Beko's recently signed 10-year EuroLeague license agreement against critics who sought to draw a contradiction between the long-term commitment and the club's vocal objections over the Final Four shambles. He dismissed such framing as an "incomplete reading" of the situation, arguing that continued membership in EuroLeague was not an endorsement of every facet of its governance, but rather the most effective means of maintaining influence and demanding accountability from within European basketball's top competition.

Fenerbahce closed its statement with a formal apology to supporters who made the journey to Athens only to be met with scenes of disorder at the turnstiles.

MENAFN24052026000045017169ID1111160663