Marios Iliopoulos was bitter about the elimination, but also proud of his team.
The majority shareholder of AEK, in his statements after the elimination by Rayo Vallecano, where the Union fought with all its might but failed to qualify, referred to the refereeing and the first match.
He described the Spaniards' stadium as a "chicken coop" and stressed that AEK is just beginning...
Here's everything Iliopoulos said: "We could have asked for more from the referees; the refereeing wasn't bad, but there were questionable phases. With a second look, you could draw different conclusions. It's obvious that AEK deserved to qualify.
The result in Spain was unfair and nightmarish, in a chicken coop, with a pitch that was, to put it mildly, unacceptable. It reminded me of Peristeri in the cup where we played (note: he meant Egaleo). I don't want to belittle anything, but if Rayo were a Greek team, their stadium wouldn't get a license.
AEK scored the 3 goals it had promised itself.
I'll tell you something you don't know. Zini promised he would score two goals, and he did. The team played very well. The 3-0 in the first match didn't allow AEK to advance.
But I believe that the universe will see, it will reward AEK's journey, because we don't end here. We start here. AEK is bringing a new era to Greek football; we have a difficult match on Sunday. The players are exhausted and need to find their strength. AEK is what the people see and what should have advanced."
Regarding the applause from Rayo's players, he commented: "I will congratulate Rayo's players for their gesture. It is honorable to admit that AEK was superior. Their admiration clearly shows that they felt we were better. Football is always football, which is why it's hard to predict. AEK scored the three goals; it didn't have bad luck on its mind."
