By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
As Euroleague announced: “The Euroleague Basketball Independent Disciplinary Judge on Friday handed down a €9,000 fine against Panathinaikos Athens for incidents that occurred during the team’s last Top 16 home game on Thursday, April 4”.
However the most important part of the announcement is the following: “In his decision, the judge also stated that further incidents of similar gravity could result in Panathinaikos playing a home game without fans in the arena, even during the current playoffs round”. Never before a Euroleague team was facing the possibility of playing an official game behind closed doors.
So the games against Barcelona will be played under the microscope, despite the fact that Panathinaikos “informed Euroleague Basketball that it will take extra security measures in and around next week’s playoff home games in OAKA to ensure the highest standards of arena security and sportsmanship are upheld for the good of all participants. Euroleague Basketball is confident that the six-time Euroleague champions are ready to honor their great tradition by hosting their home games with the same safeguards and respect for the game as the competition expects from all teams”. In Athens a sold out in OAKA is expected.
Also, as Eurohoops reported, Panathinaikos president Dimitris Giannakopoulos may still be in trouble. The press release explains: “In a separate investigation, the disciplinary judge is also in the process of reviewing comments detrimental to the competition allegedly made by Pathaninaikos officials following the first game of the playoffs on Tuesday”.