By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Just two weeks before a country-wide lockdown in Greece due to COVID, political authorities in Greece permitted Fenerbahce to enter the country despite having four members – non-players – in their delegation, which presented fever when checked in the Athens Airport.
According to a report from “Efimerida ton Sintakton”, Greek civil protection gave permission of entering to Fenerbahce, while the communication between local authorities was made via unregistered cellular phones.
The report is aimed at the deputy Minister of Civil protection Nikos Chardalis, who among other things has been in the past also the president of the women’s basketball team of Athinaikos, which won the women’s EuroCup of 2010.
Chardalias reacted with a long statement in which he announces that he is suing the newspaper for libel and for the report about Fenerbahce he adds: “I was never informed, or the airport authorities for an incident of four members of Fenerbahce’s delegation presenting fever upon their arrival in Athens airport… the team arrived via a special charter flight, their paperwork was checked according to the formal proceedings and according to the health protocols of EuroLeague and FIBA. I have to add that taking the temperature of arriving passengers is not standard procedure. Our only involvement in the incident was us giving permission per exception after a petition of Panathinaikos and the Airlines company FreeBird for arrival from Istanbul since during the time all the flights from Turkey to Greece were shut down. We have given the permission according to the health protocols of EuroLeague and FIBA”.
It has to be noted that Fenerbahce team members were tested before and after that trip and no COVID cases were registered.