By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
In a long interview with “Upset Media”, Evan Fournier opened up about a season to remember with Olympiacos, addressing many topics, including his close friend Moustapha Fall’s move from Olympiacos to Panathinaikos.
“I had an idea of what was going on”, said Fournier on the matter, having an insight into a very hard decision.
As Fournier explained: “But I want you to know that it was very difficult for him. I had spoken to him, and he told me that it took him a week to get used to the idea of the transfer. Even for me, seeing him now in Green seems strange to me. And since he spent five years at Olympiacos, it must still seem strange now. He made a choice for his family. Obviously, it is a financial choice. It is not a choice that I can judge”.
While Fall wanted to stay with Olympiacos, if the team also wanted him, Fournier added: “His goal was also to play, and because we have a lot of bigs… Look, some people can handle such a change, and others can’t. I hope everything goes well for Mous.”
Fournier also talked about his infamous gesture in the 2025 Greek League Finals, admitting that he lost control.
“Well, I love casinos”, he said jockingly about his hand gesture before addressing the issue.
As he added about Olympiacos and Panathinaikos: “This rivalry is incredible. There’s a toxic environment between the two teams, and it’s astounding, frankly. And it’s a pity because Greek basketball suffers from this. The finals are incredible, and they turned out to be a legal battle, a fight on the court, pressure on the referees, and some of their houses were vandalized. That should be a showcase for Greek basketball, and it’s turned into a complete mess”.
Fournier admitted that there’s a lot of bad blood between the two sides: “I don’t know where it started. They have hated each other for so long that you don’t really know the problem. There’s a long history that I don’t know. But clearly, their owner (ed.note: Panathinaikos owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos) creates an atmosphere that is not good. It’s all about provocations, it’s about insults, and basically, that’s it. The series starts, and everyone is fired up. The fans come and ask us to win, and it’s not about basketball; they want to crush the other team. It goes beyond basketball”.
On a personal note, he elaborated: “When I made this gesture, my wife was shocked; she told me that she had never seen me like this. And it’s true. To put things into context, it’s you against 20.000 persons who are insulting you, and this is part of the game. And then, there’s a really big mistake against me, and I have lost it. I wanted to fight someone, and I saw the courtside fans who were like, “Come on, let’s fight”. So a fuse went off, and I did what I did. And that happened again with Tyrique Jones. And for me, that’s the responsibility of those who are in charge of the organization. When two players are fired up like this, and they are ready to fight, 90% of the time, they mean it, because they are full of adrenaline at that moment. You have to separate them. You must have someone supervising them. If they meet again, you don’t know what may happen. And unfortunately that happened”.
Giannakopoulos responds to Fournier
Panathinaikos owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos responded to Fournier’s comments through a series of Instagram Stories, disputing several of the Olympiacos guard’s claims.
Reacting to Fournier’s description of the Eternal Derby finals as “a legal battle” that ended up in courtrooms, Giannakopoulos replied:
“Didn’t they tell you who keeps going to court and filing complaints, and who actually plays on the court? Learn that first.”
Addressing Fournier’s reference to pressure on referees and the vandalism of some officials’ homes, Giannakopoulos said:
“Really? Go look it up. Read about it. Go on the internet and see who vandalizes houses.”
Fournier also described the rivalry as something that “should be a showcase for Greek basketball” but had instead become “a complete mess.” Giannakopoulos answered:
“How could it not become chaos when there are players doing what you did?” he said, referring to Fournier’s obscene gesture during the 2025 Greek League Finals. “And they don’t even get punished.”
Responding to Fournier’s admission that he did not know how the rivalry had started, Giannakopoulos added:
“How did it start? Go back and learn how it started. It began when some people imagined they would build dynasties… We already talked about that. Dynasty.”
Finally, after Fournier said the two clubs had hated each other for so long that “you don’t really know the problem” and admitted he was unfamiliar with the rivalry’s history, Giannakopoulos concluded:
“Do I hate them? I laugh. I don’t hate anyone. Well, learn the history first, my friend, and then come and talk.”
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