By Andrew Warshaw
November 23 – It’s known as the “derby of eternal enemies” and rarely has that description been played out with such alarming ferocity as last weekend when Greece’s Panathinaikos-Olympiakos clash was called off before it even started.
League leaders Olympiakos did not even have any fans at the ground since away supporters are banned in the Greek top flight yet the hostile environment inside and outside caused the match to be postponed.
In the build-up to the fixture, more than 50 arrests were made outside the ground when fans, many without tickets, attempted to storm the gates and threw rocks at the police.
Inside, home fans threw flares at Olympiakos players as they walked out on to the pitch, one of them hitting Icelandic international Alfred Finnbogason in the leg. Olympiakos’ players were immediately ordered back to the changing rooms and referee Andreas Pappas waited half an hour beyond the scheduled kickoff before eventually deciding that the conditions were unsafe.
Panathinaikos have hotly contested his decision whilst at the same time condemning those responsible for carrying out the violence.
Club chairman Yiannis Alafouzos issued a statement saying he will submit his resignation to an emergency board meeting but the club also blamed the referee for an “entirely mistaken and irresponsible decision” to call off the game which prompted a pitch invasion and ugly clashes with Greek riot police. Flares, seats and metal objects were thrown at officers, who responded by firing tear gas according to local reports.
Panathinaikos are now expected to forfeit the game, be docked points and forced to play a number of home games behind closed doors.
It was a stark reminder of last year’s fixture when Panathinaikos won 2-1 but were later handed a three-point deduction, a two-match supporter ban and a hefty fine following a full-time pitch invasion.
In his report Pappas said that “considering the injury to the player from the visiting team and the tense atmosphere on and off the pitch, I judged that it is not possible for the match to continue as there was a serious threat to the physical integrity of those involved.”
The club’s counter-statement said Pappas’ “totally wrong and inexplicable decision” had prompted much of the violence. Fans have now been called on to make “a peaceful rally on Wednesday at 4pm outside our historic stadium with the motto: ‘We cannot take any more.’
“Our wish is to protest the situation in Greek football and for the failure of the state to address the phenomena of lawlessness.”
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