The '14-15 season "has been" difficult for Greek football, according to Charles Ducksbury of ESPN. Olympiakos "crashed out of the Champions League at the group stages while off the pitch, numerous violent incidents, financial issues and accusations of match-fixing have all damaged the reputation of Greek football." Envied around Greece "for having the spending power others can only dream of during the nations economic strife, Olympiakos failed to qualify for the knockout rounds of this season's Champions League" and has sacked coach Michel Gonzalez, all while having to fend off a "serious title threat" from PAOK. The "refreshing excitement of a title race has only served to paper over some alarming cracks in the Greek game; this season has been as violent and controversial as any in recent years." Top-flight club OFI Crete, which started the season with former AC Milan midfielder Gennaro Gattuso as coach before he quit in late '14, has "been docked a total of ten points due to unpaid wages." Fellow Super League club Niki Volos, which only returned to the top flight this summer after a 48-year absence, "had to withdraw from the league altogether due to financial problems." As well as the problems at club level, the national side "is also in disarray" after losing three of its four Euro 2016 qualifiers so far, including a 1-0 home defeat to Faroe Islands in November, a result that "cost Claudio Ranieri his job after just four months." The Greek FA (EPO) announced last week that Uruguayan Sergio Markarian "would be the new national team coach, meaning the job has not held by a Greek since 2001." While the topic of the new national coach "naturally dominates conversations around the country, Greek football has much bigger and sinister issues." The domination of Olympiakos "has driven fans away, with violence around the stadiums no doubt a contributor to the falling crowds" (ESPN, 2/24).
