Greek tragedy strikes Super League with suspension
No matches to be held this weekend due to violence at matches and in boardroom
Matches in Greece’s Super League will be suspended for one week, the government said on Wednesday, as it seeks to implement a crack down on football violence.
It had been announced earlier in the day that all professional matches would be suspended “indefinitely”.
Yet, after a second meeting with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, deputy sports minister Stavros Kontonis confirmed that the suspension would be limited to this weekend’s flight action.
Kontonis announced that the government and football authorities would reconvene next Wednesday and the Super League would only resume on condition that promises given for containing crowd violence were adhered to.
“Under the current circumstances it is impossible to have Super League games played this weekend,” said Kontonis.
“The decision of the government regarding the combating of violence is definitive and irrevocable,” he added. “We’ll meet again with the representatives of the authorities next Wednesday and see what they have implemented from what they have promised to do. If the situation
top remains the same, there will be another suspension.”
The suspension follows a pitch invasion at the end of the Athens derby last weekend and a Super League board meeting that ended in a brawl on Tuesday, with Greece’s recently elected Syriza ruling party aiming to stamp out the problem of crowd violence.
It is the third time this season that professional football in Greece has been shut down.
Matches were halted for one week last September following the death of a fan after violent clashes at a third division match between Ethnikos Piraeus and Irodotos.
Violent assault
The authorities then suspended games last November after Christoforos Zografos, assistant director of the Central Refereeing Committee (KED), was taken to hospital following a violent assault.
Panathinaikos’s 2-1 derby win over Olympiakos Piraeus two days ago ended with a pitch invasion after flares were thrown onto the field at various times during the match, one of which hit the Olympiakos midfielder Pajtim Kasami on the arm.
Kontonis told national TV news channel Skai: “What went on during the [Athens] derby and what has been happening in other stadiums in the past has surpassed all limits... fans invading the pitch, throwing flares that are aimed to hurt people; all this is unthinkable and this situation cannot continue.
We’ll meet again with the representatives of the authorities next Wednesday and see what they have implemented from what they have promised to do.”
Stavros Kontonis
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Deputy sports minister