By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
Panathinaikos owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos has no intention of complying with the ban imposed by EuroLeague Basketball and plans on attending the upcoming game vs. archrival club Olympiacos, Friday (2/3).
Yesterday, the appeals judge reduced the 12-month ban from every arena where EuroLeague Basketball games are held that was originally imposed to Giannakopoulos, modifying the overall penalty to a ban for five months plus a fine of €60,000.
Giannakopoulos had been sanctioned with a 12-month ban after some controversial posts on his personal Instagram account that included obscene language. The owner of Panathinaikos later stated that he wanted to defend his family against certain comments by Turkish citizens that included “threats” and “curses”.
Following the original ban by EuroLeague, Giannakopoulos announced a “referendum” voting procedure where fans would choose if Panathinaikos will continue competing in the top-tier continental championship, but it was later canceled.