Following extreme violence at Sunday evenings League tie between Greek Footballing Gods Olympiakos and Panathinakos and a further full-scale, physical dispute between club officials during a board meeting on Tuesday, The Greek Government have today announced an indefinite suspension for all professional football in the country.
The top three tiers of Greek Football have already been suspended twice this season, violence seeing separate suspensions throughout September and November, 2014. However, newly elected ruling party Syriza have already stated their huge intent to stamp out the vast majority of footballing violence throughout the country.
"We have a new government who are looking to bring this subject up for discussion and implement state laws related to it," said Super League president Giorgos Borovilos.
"The government wants games to start again as soon as possible, but for that they want to see immediate reactions from all of us."
The suspension for all three divisions in the country has been announced as largely because of fans from various clubs hurling flares, rocks and bottles at opposing players and fans as well as officials - The most recent violent confrontation occurring in Panathinakos’s, fiery 2-1 victory over their league leaders and ‘eternal enemies’ Olympiakos.
The suspension earlier on in the season followed the death of a young man after a Greek Third Division match, and the second occurring from the physical assault on the assistant director of the refereeing committee.
However, Greek football fan Giannis Katsikgiogannis suggests that the suspension is unlikely to prevent further volatile fans behaviour.
“This kind of violence has been going on almost 40 years now and will make no difference. Until the state makes systematic measures to tackle this problem, it will continue to happen across all of Greece.”
The top three tiers of Greek Football have already been suspended twice this season, violence seeing separate suspensions throughout September and November, 2014. However, newly elected ruling party Syriza have already stated their huge intent to stamp out the vast majority of footballing violence throughout the country.
"We have a new government who are looking to bring this subject up for discussion and implement state laws related to it," said Super League president Giorgos Borovilos.
"The government wants games to start again as soon as possible, but for that they want to see immediate reactions from all of us."
The suspension for all three divisions in the country has been announced as largely because of fans from various clubs hurling flares, rocks and bottles at opposing players and fans as well as officials - The most recent violent confrontation occurring in Panathinakos’s, fiery 2-1 victory over their league leaders and ‘eternal enemies’ Olympiakos.
The suspension earlier on in the season followed the death of a young man after a Greek Third Division match, and the second occurring from the physical assault on the assistant director of the refereeing committee.
However, Greek football fan Giannis Katsikgiogannis suggests that the suspension is unlikely to prevent further volatile fans behaviour.
“This kind of violence has been going on almost 40 years now and will make no difference. Until the state makes systematic measures to tackle this problem, it will continue to happen across all of Greece.”