The Associated Press published an article about the Greek priest that “religiously follow his team”.
The 51-year-old Greek Orthodox priest, Mr. Mitsios, has become a mainstay in the hardcore section at PAOK Thessaloniki matches, cheering on the team and offering help and guidance to many of Greece’s most fervent supporters in the fearsome Gate 4 section of the Toumba Stadium.
The priest gave also an interview stating that “Gate 4 is magnificent. These boys have a fire inside them, in their heart and soul. I will always stay with the drug addicts, the hooligans, and those abandoned by society and their own families”.
Father Christos is a star in Thessaloniki. His flowing gray beard and full-length black cassock set him apart from the bare-chested thugs who attend every home match, but it is with them that Father Christos says he can do the most good. He runs a food bank and has attracted hundreds of troubled youths to church confession, while helping others join state-run drug programs.
On the other hand, as stated in the article, the church’s conservative hierarchy is less than amused with Father Christos and the images of him, all smiles, being carried on the shoulders of boisterous youths, or chanting slogans with a black-and-white scarf tied around his neck.
Church elders stripped Father Christos of his administrative responsibilities, angry at his blunt refusal to stop attending matches. But a campaign with 18,000 followers launched on the social media site Facebook last year helped ensure that his punishment stopped there.
On Wednesday, PAOK will be playing in one of its most important matches ever, facing Ajax at home in the second leg of the third qualifying round for the Champions League.
“I don’t see why we shouldn’t pull it off,” Father Christos said. “Look at all the big teams that got knocked out of the last World Cup.”
“Papa-PAOK” will always shout “PAOK I live and breathe only for you.”
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