Dark
Light

Soccer cup final to be played behind closed doors

8 May, 2019

The government announced that the Greek Cup final on Saturday at the Olympic Stadium of Athens between holder PAOK and AEK will be played behind closed doors.

There will only be a few hundred invitations forwarded to each club – reports speak of as many as 500 each – and another set handed to the Hellenic Football Federation for its own commitments.

Up to 1,500 people are expected to see the final from the stands. In a statement on Monday Deputy Minister for Sports Giorgos Vassiliadis confirmed what had been rumored for days, acknowledging the authorities’ inability to ensure the security of the final, citing recent tension between the two clubs’ hardcore fans.

This follows violent clashes between PAOK and AEK hooligans in the two previous finals of the Cup, in 2017 in Volos and in 2018 at the Olympic Stadium.

The government’s decision follows the recommendations by the police and the Permanent Commission Against Violence, which warned of scheduled clashes between hardcore fans of PAOK and AEK as well as possible provocation by third parties.

Despite the opposition to this decision by the two sets of fans, that are now deprived of attending the year’s showcase game, the two clubs had quietly agreed with playing behind closed doors, as that would ensure they would not get penalized for the action of their fans, as has been the case time and again in the past.

Dark
Light

Latest News

17th of November 1973: Polytechnic uprising marked the modern history of Greece

 The 17th of November 1973 Polytechnic uprising marked the modern
The Hellenic Intelligence Service unveils Cyprus coup and Turkish invasion archives

The Hellenic Intelligence Service unveils Cyprus coup and Turkish invasion archives

The Hellenic Intelligence Service unveils Cyprus coup and Turkish invasion
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Health Leadership: A Vision for Informed Choice and Vaccine Safety

Trump’s appointment of RFK Jr. to lead health signals a bold, public health-first vision

If Robert F. Kennedy Jr. were to lead the U.S.