Statement from Beşiktaş: An unacceptable situation!

In the BKT EuroCup quarter-final match, Beşiktaş Emlakjet will face Hapoel Tel Aviv on Wednesday, March 13.

Ahead of the match, a post on the black-and-white team's social media account stated that the penalty received by Hapoel Tel Aviv player Xavier Manford was insufficient.

The statement said, "We hope that the FIBA and Euroleague boards will make a fair decision regarding this situation, taking into account previous precedents. We would like to state that we will follow this matter to the end and will use all our legal rights."

The following statements were also included in Beşiktaş's announcement:

"We have learned with astonishment that Xavier Manford, a basketball player for our BKT EuroCup quarter-final opponent Hapoel Tel Aviv, has received an unprecedented 21-day suspension from competitions by the Israel Basketball Federation due to drug use.

It is unacceptable that the sanction applied to such an act, which is incompatible with the spirit of sports, was announced as 21 days, just a few days before the match against our Club and significantly lower than its precedents. This announced penalty casts a shadow over the deterrent effect of such behaviors that are contrary to the spirit of sports and creates a situation that could pave the way for such behaviors.

Furthermore, the fact that the Hapoel Tel Aviv head coach stated in an interview that the sample was taken in December but the results were announced in February raises questions about the matter."

Statement from our Club

We have learned with astonishment that Xavier Manford, a basketball player for our BKT EuroCup quarter-final opponent Hapoel Tel Aviv, has received an unprecedented 21-day suspension from competitions by the Israel Basketball Federation due to drug use… pic.twitter.com/1HPsFtRcf2

— Beşiktaş Emlakjet (@BJK_Basketbol) March 11, 2024

News Source: 12punto