Giannakopoulos Denied Roig Arena Entry for Euroleague Game 5

Valencia Basket will not allow Dimitris Giannakopoulos into Roig Arena for Wednesday's euroleague Game 5, closing the door on entry and accreditation for the Panathinaikos president and owner. The decision lands before a winner-takes-all playoff game that will decide who reaches the Final Four in Athens.

Giannakopoulos is serving a EuroLeague suspension that includes a €10,000 fine and a three-game arena ban after he confronted referees courtside during the second game of the series. Valencia Basket has no intention of asking the EuroLeague to lift the punishment, so the ban stays in place for the fifth and final game.

Roig Arena security tightened

Security personnel at Roig Arena have been told to increase surveillance around VIP entrances, hospitality areas and executive boxes. Valencia Basket also said there will be no special security arrangements for Giannakopoulos, who will not receive accreditation for the game.

He traveled to Valencia and posted his whereabouts on Instagram before Wednesday's matchup. On social media, he wrote, "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" and said he believed "all parties in basketball would unanimously agree."

Giannakopoulos and Article 23

The practical line is simple: if he tries to enter Roig Arena, Valencia Basket will deny access. The harder edge sits in Article 23 of the EuroLeague disciplinary code, which says violating the arena ban could bring another penalty ranging from €30,000 to €280,000.

That leaves the series' most visible off-court figure outside the building for a game with a Final Four place at stake. He said after earlier games, "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," but Wednesday's ruling keeps his access limited by the suspension he is already serving.