Greeks want tougher anti-violence measures

Greek football federation president Sophocles Pilavios has called for harsher penalties for those found guilty of football-related violence, and wants the Greek state to help by reforming current legislation.

Greece’s history of football-related violence was on display last week in a match involving bitter rivals Olympiakos and Panathinaikos, which Olympiakos won 2-1 thanks to a controversial late goal.

Olympiakos owner Vangelis Marinakis was shown on video after the derby abusing Panathinaikos’s French striker Djibril Cisse, the league’s leading scorer, just moments after Olympiakos fans kicked and shoved Panathinaikos players as they left the pitch.

Marinakis later apologised for his actions and requested that representatives of the clubs meet, but Panathinaikos refused and Cisse lodged a complaint against the club owner.

Cisse has said that he would leave Greece after this season because of the acts of violence in the country, which often spills out of stadiums as fans fight each other and target players and managers to vent their frustration.

Pilavios said the federation would introduce five referees next season in cup matches, admitting that poor officiating has led to much of the violence at the pitches.

“My proposal is to consolidate the sports legislation in a simple way as to ensure that steps will be taken to combat the violence,” Pilavios told reporters after a meeting to discuss the increase in violence at matches.

“We intend to take certain steps. Firstly, we want to prohibit the use of flares and firecrackers.”

He also criticized the top flight Super League for not doing enough to stop the violence.

“The Super League must reconsider how it operates,” he said.