The EuroLeague Appeals panel have decided to reduce the ban on Panathinaikos owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos to five months.
However, they have decided to add a fine of €60,000. His ban runs out on June 30, a month after the EuroLeague season concludes.
The original ban had been for 12 months following Giannakopoulos’ comments made on social media regarding the refereeing performance following Panathinaikos’ loss to Fenerbahce.
Below is the official EuroLeague release:
Although rejecting the appeal’s request to set aside completely a one-year ban on Mr. Giannakopoulos accessing arenas where Euroleague Basketball competitions are being played, the appeals judge modified the sanction by reducing the ban to five months while adding an accessory fine to it. The ban would now run from the original decision on February 5 to June 30, 2018, which marks the end of the current season. The Appeals Judge further modified the sanction on Mr. Giannakopoulos to include a fine of €60,000.
The sanction pertains to a violation of Article 24.1(g) of the Euroleague Basketball Disciplinary Code, which regards public statements that damage the interests of the competition as serious infringements.
