By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Panathinaikos owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos sent a letter to EuroLeague CEO Jordi Bertomeu following the decision of EuroLeague to re-activate his previously suspended fines and open a disciplinary procedure and investigation against him, regarding the aftermath of the EuroLeague game between Panathinaikos and Olympiacos.
In the letter, Giannakopoulos mentions that he can’t understand why his fines are active again, questions Olympiacos‘ lawsuit against him and Panathinaikos while asking EuroLeague to “protect” him and the organization by taking legal actions against Olympiacos.
Giannakopoulos’ letter is as follows:
Dear Mr. Bertomeu.
It is with great surprise that I received your today letter. Multiple questions arise while reading it. To be more specific. I cannot understand why the 410.000 euros have been reinstated while you have explicitly told me that only in the event of a major infringement would this occur and not for a minor one. as applies in the present case. Apart from that, however, such an exhausting penalty cannot be justified by what the Judge himself has accepted as facts. There has been no act of violence reported and it was Olympiacos that delivered the scoresheet to the Media and brought attention to this incident and not myself! In no way does this penalty reflect our consensual agreement to have a new beginning bona fide.
Furthermore. it is totally contradictory that while I am being charged for having said what has been reported on the scoresheet, I am at the same time being summoned by Olympiacos for having declared the exact opposite statements!!! It is not only legally absurd. but irrational as well!
Olympiacos BC has intentionally falsified the truth through public official announcements mentioning that I accused Olympiacos of bribing the two referees of the game!! This is a product of Olympiacos BC’s imagination and is completely untrue and misleading!! I will never get tired of repeating that I never made such accusations towards the referees and what Olympiacos BC has intentionally spread throughout the media is a huge slander. One would expect that alter the official defamatory announcements (one of them even made today!) by Olympiacos against Panathinaikos BC and me, Euroleague would have already pressed charges against them. As everyone knows. Olympiacos shamelessly dares to blame in public and repeatedly Panathinaikos and myself for such conduct even after having received our l2ll2l20l8 extra judicial notices by which is stated that we have no relation whatsoever with the lies it spreads throughout the Media!
However, on the contrary, not only this did not happen, but new proceedings for major (!!) infringements have commenced against the victims, that is to say, Panathinaikos and me for FORMALLY HAVING DECLARED THAT OLYMPIACOS HAD BRIBED TWO OF THE THREE REFEREES OF THE OAKA GAME WITH 2O.OOO EUROS! It has to be understood that I am in a dead-end regarding Olympiacos’ attacks, as I cannot publicly respond so that I can defend myself and they are not only fully aware of that fact, but they constantly take advantage of it, as well. Needless to say, I personally have initiated all necessary judicial and extra-judicial actions against Olympiacos BC to protect my name and personality against all of the above false and defamatory accusations by the latter, I have already pressed charges and filed a lawsuit against them and I truly believe that the Greek Justice will convict the culprits in the most exemplary way possible- the same way as Euroleague will” too.
Both Panathinaikos’ and my personal constant defamation can be tolerated neither by me nor -I am certain of that- by you. Euroleague should have already commenced official proceedings regarding the repetitive deceitful announcements made by Olympiacos. I am. therefore. hereby asking you to inform me in due time about the actions already taken by Euroleague against Olympiacos and its representatives regarding Panathinaikos’ and mv personal inestimable both moral and material damage and I formally declare that I will assist in any possible way. so that Euroleague image be protected by such unacceptable behavior” as the one displayed by Olympiacos. In the unlikely case that this has not yet taken place. I ask you to immediately proceed with your own legal actions to protect both me and Euroleague Basketball.
Yours faithfully, Dimitris Giannakopoulos.