Greek football has been heavily hit by the nation’s economic crisis. Attendance figures are falling steadily and are raising concerns over the sport’s outlook in the country.
Rising unemployment, violence in stadiums (keeping spectators away), poor quality and a drastic reduction of investors and sponsors, are the main reasons for the current misery prevailing in Greek football.
Most football enterprises are at the brink of despair over their finances, with an even bleaker outlook. The average attendance figures for the first seventeen schedules of the Super League are disappointing, with only five teams reporting higher attendance: Olympiakos (up by 4,881 compared with the same period in the previous season), Larisa (1,449), Asteras Tripoli (634), Xanthi (307) and Atromitos (58). Aris Thessaloniki recorded a decline of 3,905, followed by Panaphinaikos (1,061), Ergotelis (880), Heracles (717), Kavala (689), Panionios (651), PAOK (598) and AEK (459).
OPAP, the state lottery organisation, is offering great help to Greek football with several sponsorships. Television rights are expected to be unchanged by 2012.
Soccer teams participating in lower leagues are facing even bigger problems with several matches cancelled, as teams cannot afford transportation expenses.
Panos Bitsaxis, secretary-general of sports, has repeatedly said that football teams should not rely on state help to survive. The ministry is now considering the restructuring of many teams.
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