Besiktas furiuos over Munford's doping ruling, vow to use legal action / News - Basketnews.com

Besiktas released a statement saying the suspension was disproportionate and promised to take legal action if no decision from FIBA or EuroLeague comes before the start of Wednesday's game.

Credit: Marcus Brandt/dpa - Scanpix Credit Marcus Brandt/dpa - Scanpix

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv's guard Xavier Munford was initially suspended after cannabis was found in his doping sample. However, the suspension lasted just three weeks.

Xavier Munford

MIN:28.63PTS:15.94 (56.18%)REB:2.83As:3.72ST:1.39BL:0.11TO:2.06GM:18ProfileEuroCup2023/2024

Namely, the guard was suspended from February 19th until March 11th, meaning he will only miss three Israeli Winner League games and will not be sidelined for any EuroCup contests.

As the decision was officially announced, Hapoel's EuroCup quarterfinal opponent, Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul, released an official statement, condemning the decision by the Israeli authorities.

The Turkish club thinks the suspension did not meet the seriousness of the offense and promises to take legal action, at the same time expecting a decision from FIBA and EuroLeague boards.

Unedited statement by Besiktas:

We are truly disappointed and even shocked to learn that our BKT EuroCup quarter-final opponent, Hapoel Tel Aviv’s player Xavier Manford, was given only a 21-day suspension for using prohibited drugs by the Israeli Basketball Association.

The 21-day suspension imposed on such unsportsmanlike conduct, which is incompatible with the spirit of sports and announced just a few days before our match, is very light in comparison to similar ones. This light penalty casts a shadow on the deterrence and prevention of such behaviors that are contrary to the spirit of sports and creates a situation that may pave the way for such behaviors.

In addition, the fact that the Head Coach of Hapoel Tel Aviv said in an interview that the doping test was carried out in December, but the results were published only in late February raises questions about the issue.

We hope that the FIBA and EuroLeague Boards will make a fair decision regarding this situation, taking into account the previous penalties. We would like to state that we will follow the issue to the end and use all our legal rights.

The EuroCup playoff game between Hapoel and Besiktas will take place in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Wednesday, March 13th.

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