By Andrew Warshaw
March 4 – Greek football has been plunged into yet more disgrace after the government cancelled the domestic cup competition when the first leg of the semi-final between PAOK Salonika and Olympiakos Piraeus was abandoned due to crowd trouble.
Government spokeswoman Olga Gerovasili made the announcement just two hours before AEK and Atromitos were due to meet in Athens in the other semi-final.
With Olympiakos 2-1 ahead in the 89th minute and Paok denied a penalty, referee Andreas Pappas stopped the contest at Toumba Stadium when PAOK fans invaded the pitch and dozens of flares and smoke bombs were thrown from the stands.
Earlier Olympiakos coach Marco Silva was also struck in the back by a plastic cup during the second half, and the Athens-based club, who won their 43rd league title last weekend, will most likely be awarded the match 3-0.
“In view of…this mayhem in football grounds and a huge disturbance of the social peace and legal order in general, the government has decided to definitively cancel any process and match related to the Greek Cup as provided for by the law,” the government said in a statement.
“The government is closely monitoring developments and those who do not take seriously our policies should be aware that we will not hesitate to make further decisions on these matters.”
PAOK face a heavy fine as well as the possibility of being forced to play matches behind closed doors. But PAOK owner Ivan Savvidis, who immediately withdrew his team from the competition, called for the resignation of Giorgos Girtzikis, president of the Hellenic football federation.
It was the second time this season that a match in Greece has been halted. The Athens derby last November between Panathinaikos and Olympiakos was called off due to violent clashes between fans and police before kickoff.
Last year, the Greek Super League was suspended following violence between rival sets of supporters but this time, the Super League and the rest of the professional football divisions will continue even though deputy minister for sport Stavros Kontonis recommended the suspension of all competitive football.
Olympiakos and its owners are in the centre of match-fixing allegations in Greece that have angered fans of other clubs to the degree that trust seems to have left the game and fans are taking matters into their own hands.
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