Olympiacos and Panathinaikos in dispute over Mathias Lessort's past surgery

Olympiacos BC issued a statement on October 8, 2026, revealing details regarding the medical treatment of Panathinaikos center Mathias Lessort, who underwent surgery last November by renowned Dutch orthopedic surgeon Dr. Niek van Dijk. Olympiacos claimed that Dr. Van Dijk has an exclusive medical partnership with their club in Greece and is the personal physician of Olympiacos owner Giorgos Angelopoulos. The Piraeus club stated that the surgery proceeded only after Panathinaikos requested and received explicit approval from Olympiacos management.

Panathinaikos owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos reacted sharply to the claims, criticizing Olympiacos for presenting a humanitarian medical necessity as a favor. He accused the Olympiacos leadership of trying to claim moral superiority for an "obvious" act. Furthermore, Giannakopoulos alleged that the surgeon specifically requested consent from Olympiacos due to external pressure or an existing contract, suggesting that the medical necessity was used for public relations purposes rather than genuine benevolence. The public exchange has escalated into an intense war of words between the two rival clubs, highlighting the deep animosity between their respective leaderships.