Spineless FIFA invited this outrage
FOOTBALL in Greece has been suspended indefinitely after Ivan Savvidis, owner of PAOK Salonika, stormed the pitch to challenge a disallowed goal, while armed. It’s been coming. In 2016, a member of a central refereeing commission set up by FIFA was threatened by masked raiders at his home. FIFA warned along the lines of ‘if it happens again . . . ’ and, unsurprisingly, with courage like that, it has. The domestic game is so tarnished that corruption is now presumed by the public and only four teams in the 16-strong top division average crowds of over 5,000. FIFA have now sent an emergency delegation and ‘demand an uncompromising and robust approach’. Ooh, get them. If it happens a third time, you can bet they’ll be really cross.