The Hellenic Football Federation (EPO) on Thursday "condemned crowd violence which caused the first leg of the Greek Cup semifinal between PAOK Salonika and Olympiakos Piraeus to be abandoned" after a pitch invasion, according to Graham Wood of REUTERS.
The violence, which erupted after a penalty was denied to PAOK in Wednesday evening's game, also prompted Greece Deputy Minister for Sport Stavros Kontonis "to recommend the suspension" of all competitive football in the country.
Government and football authorities "will convene later on Thursday to rule on the issue."
The Toumba stadium in Salonika "resembled a war zone after hundreds of angry fans stormed the pitch and fought running battles with riot police in the closing minutes."
In an apparent reference to the migrant and economic crises now convulsing Greece, the EPO statement said it would "not allow football to be involved in games and goals that go beyond the controversies on the pitch and be burdened with the problems of an entire society" (REUTERS, 3/3).
DONE WITH IT: In a separate piece, Wood reported PAOK Salonika Owner Ivan Savvidis "withdrew his team from the Greek Cup and called for the resignation" of EPO President Giorgos Girtzikis after the semifinal first leg against Olympiakos Piraeus was abandoned due to a pitch invasion. Savvidis: "I would like to apologize in front of everyone, unfortunately we are not seeing any positive moves forward and this is the cause of the unacceptable things we have seen today. We will not come to Athens to play the second leg, whatever the punishment, my position will not change." Savvidis added that match "should be replayed with a foreign referee" (REUTERS, 3/2).
