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Maria S. Topalova

    PAOK Thessaloniki already has an obvious problem with Dimitar Berbatov and the football circles in Greece expect the Bulgarian star to leave the team in January. Currently, at least one Greek team wants to acquire Mitko. AEK Athens has the financial capacity and the desire to attract the great football player.
    At the same time, clouds are hanging over the future of coach Igor Tudor, who is bearing the responsibility for the unsatisfactory performance of the team in both the Europa League and in the national championship. The Croat cannot cope with the attitudes among the players and with the refusal of Stefanos Athanasiadis to play with Berbatov, he is unable to control the desire of players such as Gary Rodriguez for single fights and the 11 players do not look like a team on the field.

   Last night’s match with Gabala, which was actually honourable as PAOK lost the chance to qualify for the next stage of the championship, did not show a change in the team members’ attitude towards Dimitar Berbatov by passing to him. The black-and-whites created the impression that they were playing not only against the visiting teams from Azerbaijan but also against their teammate with number 10. Well, there is no way to win this match.
    The Bulgarian football star was replaced in the 71st minute and left the field obviously angry, he did not go to the bench with his teammates, stopped for a while in the changing rooms and at about the 80th minute of the match he got into his car and drove home. His eloquent behaviour could not go unnoticed by the Greek media. "In the coming days PAOK will have a problem with Berbatov," writes the newspaper Naftemporiki.

    "In addition to swallowing the zero result at Tumba stadium, PAOK had to witness the nervous withdrawal of the great star Berbatov. Indicative of the state of Tudor’s team was the booing on the part of fans," writes iefimerida.gr. "It was PAOK’s worst match this season," writes the newspaper Proto Thema. "There was no passion or desire for football and all who were in the stands were bored, regretting that they wasted their evening," continues the newspaper. "Apparently neither dining out nor discussions with shareholders were enough," concludes the newspaper.
    Sports website sdna.gr is also dealing with PAOK’s internal problems, warning that there could be surprises. "The Bulgarian footballer showed the stadium that he did not approve of coach Tudor’s decisions. Berbatov was visibly disappointed but applauded the fans of the team," reads the newspaper.

    PAOK, of course, is trying to downplay what happened. Coach Igor Tudor explained his decision with Berbatov’s injury that was not over yet and said that he was tired because he had played all 90 minutes in the previous match that took place four days earlier. Furthermore, the team claims that a player is not obliged to sit on the bench to his teammates and has the right to go in the changing rooms.
    Football commentators noted Berbatov’s poor psychological state long before yesterday’s match with Gabala. "If I had to choose between Berbatov and Tudor, I would immediately part with the Croat. He has no skills to create a good team," said one of the most famous football commentators in Greece. According to him, Tudor does not want to be confronted with local star Stefanos Athanasiadis, who is the favourite of the stands in Tumba, thus keeping Berbatov in an unfavoured position. "Even if they both have to leave together, their weight is less than that of Berbatov alone," said the expert.