French Basketball League issued ASVEL a €100,000 fine
The French basketball club ASVEL Villeurbanne, led by former NBA player Tony Parker, has been heavily sanctioned
The French basketball club ASVEL Villeurbanne, led by former NBA player Tony Parker, has been heavily sanctioned by the French league (LNB) with a fine of 100,000 euros and the loss of two victories in the classification due to irregularities in the contracts of their two highest-paid players, Nando de Colo and Joffrey Lauvergne. The LNB investigation found that the club had paid a significant portion of the contracts of these two players through image rights, which is prohibited in France. The ASVEL could now appeal this decision to the Appeals Chamber of the French Basketball Federation (FFBB).
In addition to the fine and loss of victories, the sanctions will also require changes to the payment structure of De Colo and Lauvergne’s contracts to comply with French law. The loss of two victories in the league classification leaves the ASVEL with a record of 13-9, just one win ahead of the last team that now enters the playoffs, Chorale Roanne.