Greek team owner carries gun onto field during match
Soccer matches in Greece’s top league were suspended indefinitely Monday after the owner of PAOK FC, one of the most prestigious clubs in the country, went onto the field during a game Sunday seemingly with a gun holstered on his waist. Ivan Savvidis stormed the field as PAOK was playing AEK Athens in Thessaloniki, in northern Greece, after a referee disallowed a goal from Fernando Varela, a central defender for PAOK. Savvidis, a Greek-Russian tycoon who used to be a member of the Russian parliament, took to the field twice, followed by his personal security. An arrest warrant was issued against him and five people who accompanied him, some of whom were his bodyguards. The warrant accuses Savvidis of violating sports law by invading the field, though other factors that were at play will also be examined, according to Greek police. Savvidis is a legal gun-carrier, which is common for high-profile businessmen, Rotziokou said in a telephone interview. The mood was tense even before the start of the match, as a point deduction that had been imposed on PAOK was removed just hours before the match, a decision that could further reduce the credibility of the league. The incident was the latest blow to Greek soccer’s reputation after years of tumult and scandal, which mainly related to claims of match fixing and referee intimidation. “For the past three years, the government has been trying to clean up the suffering football sector,” said Georgios Vassiliadis, deputy culture and sports minister, after his meeting with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Monday. Vassiliadis added that the government’s efforts will continue, and that a new set of stricter rules would need to be in place before the suspension of the Super League is lifted. Fans turned to social media to denounce the incident, which went viral on Twitter. Both UEFA and FIFA, the governing bodies of European and world soccer, condemned the episode, but, because it occurred in the context of a national competition, neither are authorized to impose any disciplinary measures. Still, both had parachuted in experts in recent years to help restore confidence and improve standards. The incident Sunday occurred less than two weeks after 58 people — including club owners, players and officials — were convicted after a seven-year investigation into allegations of widespread match-fixing in Greek soccer, centring on the accusation that certain clubs conspired to ensure they were given friendly refereeing. The scandal has left many in the sport with little or no trust in the integrity of the competition. At one point, Olympiacos, the country’s most successful team — whose owner was implicated in the case but ultimately not charged — even called for foreign referees to be hired to guarantee impartiality.