Valencia Basket will deny Dimitris Giannakopoulos access to Wednesday’s decisive Euroleague playoff clash against Panathinaikos if he tries to attend at Roig Arena. The Spanish club also has no intention of asking the EuroLeague to lift the punishment that already bars him from the venue.
The move means Giannakopoulos, who is serving a EuroLeague suspension that includes a €10,000 fine and a three-game arena ban, will not be granted entry or accreditation for Game 5. Valencia has told Eurohoops there will be no special security arrangements for him, even as staff at Roig Arena have reportedly been told to step up surveillance around VIP entrances, hospitality areas and executive boxes.
Giannakopoulos was sanctioned after confronting referees courtside during the second game of the series. He then traveled to Valencia and posted his whereabouts on Instagram, while later writing on social media, “I hope Valencia now submits a request so that I can watch the fifth game, which will decide which of us will be the fourth team at the Final Four in Athens,” adding that “all parties in basketball would unanimously agree.”
He had also said earlier in the series, “If I had wanted to be in the arena, I would have been there in person, not behind a mask. I am not a coward.” The comments have kept the focus on one of the most volatile corners of a tight playoff series, with the club now making clear that the ban will be enforced without exception.
Under Article 23 of the EuroLeague disciplinary code, violating the arena ban could bring additional penalties ranging from €30,000 to €280,000. That risk adds another layer to a night already carrying heavy weight for both sides, because Wednesday’s Game 5 will decide which team reaches the Final Four in Athens, where Panathinaikos would have the advantage of playing in its own arena.
For Valencia supporters, the game is being treated as the biggest in the club’s history. A first-ever Final Four place is within reach, and the club’s stance suggests it wants the focus inside the arena to stay on basketball, not on the man suspended outside it.
