Greek Deputy Sports Minister Stavros Kontonis is hoping his country will avoid int'l sanctions "after cancelling this season's Greek Cup because of crowd violence," according to Graham Wood of REUTERS. FIFA and UEFA have asked for the Greek Cup to be reinstated by April 1 after the competition "was scrapped by the government earlier this month." The decision was made after the first leg of the semifinal between PAOK Salonika and Olympiakos Piraeus on March 2 was abandoned due to a "violent pitch invasion, with fans hurling flares and missiles before being dispersed by riot police." Failure to meet the April 1 deadline "could result in the suspension of the Greek federation," clubs being stopped from playing in European club competitions and the national side barred from int'l tournaments. Kontonis: "I took the initiative to speak today because the situation is very unsettled and many people perceive that as a weakness." Before the FIFA and UEFA delegations arrive, the Hellenic Football Federation will appeal to Greece's Supreme Court on Tuesday to "reverse the decision made by Kontonis." Kontonis: "We are fighting to get our decision validated. It was an entirely legal move and, as a measure, solves a serious problem, that of preserving public order" (REUTERS, 3/28).
