Super League matches in Greece will "take place behind closed doors for the second week running following a pitch invasion" that led to the abandonment of a Greek Cup quarterfinal between AEK Athens and Olympiakos on Wednesday. Greece's turbulent football season "continued as the second leg tie between Athens rivals AEK and Olympiakos at the Olympic Stadium was abandoned after a group of around 20 AEK fans ran on to the pitch and threw objects at players and police." The Super League resumed "only last weekend with matches played behind closed doors following a one-week suspension due to persistent crowd trouble" (REUTERS, 3/12). ... The Hillsborough police match commander has "agreed he was incompetent" and his "mistakes" and "oversight" caused the deaths of 96 fans. David Duckenfield said he had done his "best under very trying circumstances and sadly my best was not good enough." Duckenfield agreed while he was not negligent, he "did not act as a competent match commander" and "the risk of death was not obvious to me." Duckenfield "was in charge when a crush developed in terraced pens during a FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Sheffield Wednesday's stadium, on 15 April 1989" (BBC, 3/12). ... The Zimbabwe national team was disqualified Wednesday from the 2018 World Cup qualifiers for "not paying the salaries of Brazilian coach José Claudinei Georgini," who coached the team in '08. The FIFA Disciplinary Committee stated it took the initiative "as a result of the lack of payment of a pending debt" from the Zimbabwe FA (ZIFA) with Georgini (ESTADÃO, 3/12). ... Brasileiro side Palmeiras on Monday "reached more than 100,000 members, becoming the second largest Brazilian club." In '15 alone, Palmeiras' added 35,000 members. The "expansion began right when the Arena [Allianz Parque] opened, at the end of 2014, with an increase of approximately 29,000 members." The Brazilian club with the most members "is still Internacional" with more than 130,000 members (PLACAR, 3/10).
