Europe – Greek champion, Evan Fournier harshly criticized: “Even Michael Jordan couldn’t do that”.

Pierre Haessig

Par Guillaume Kagni | Journaliste sportif

The Greek championship finals are over, and that’s certainly good news. The duel between Olympiakos and Panathinaikos was marked by numerous outbursts, not least from Evan Fournier. In fact, the Frenchman caused further controversy on Sunday.

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Rivalries are the lifeblood of sport, and the one between Olympiakos and Panathinaikos made the Greek championship the center of the basketball world for a few days. Perhaps for the first time in the sport’s history, the government had to intervene and suspend the finals so that everyone could calm down and come to their senses. A tough decision that didn’t help.

For in match 3, there were some big fouls and expulsions, but also a rather unexpected gesture from France’s Evan Fournier. Having spent more than 10 years in a league as sanitized as the NBA, the French guard has quickly grasped the atmosphere in Europe’s volcanoes. The atmosphere of the Finals summed up in a handful of seconds.

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New controversy surrounding Evan Fournier in Greece

Annoyed by the opposing fans and an assault, Evan Fournier lost his cool by miming this obscene gesture. Ejected, he eventually inherited a $30,000 fine, but was allowed to play in the fourth and final game of the series. The fullback was able to contribute to Olympiakos’s title, which infuriated Pana’s owner. Dimitris Giannakopoulos said of the Frenchman:

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So, from now on, an athlete can make any gesture on the field, in any hall, without being sanctioned? Is that what we call sporting justice? Justice at all? I’m really afraid of what’s going to happen in sport in the future. Last year, I promised the fans I’d create a team capable of beating the referees. I did it, we won the EuroLeague and the championship.

Now, with what I’ve seen, I’ll have to build a team to beat the referees, our opponents and the government of this country. Unfortunately, I don’t have enough money for that. Even if I brought in Michael Jordan, he couldn’t win in these conditions. I really want to apologize to all Panathinaikos fans. The Greek government doesn’t want to alienate the millions of Olympiakos fans.

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