Dimitris Giannakopoulos' ban from Euroleague arenas reduced to five months

The Euroleague Basketball Appeals Judge on Tuesday issued a decision on the appeal of an earlier decision by the competition's Independent Disciplinary Judge concerning public statements directed at Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans that were made by Mr. Dimitris Giannakopoulos of Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens.

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.