Saturday’s Greek Cup final between Super League champions Olympiacos and AEK has been postponed at the request of the police.
The match was due to be held behind closed doors because of crowd violence in previous games, after a joint decision between Deputy Sports Minister Stavros Kontonis and the Hellenic Football Federation (EPO).
However, a nationwide 48-hour strike by various labor unions has led the police to request the postponement of the final, claiming they did not have the resources to oversee the game.
“By a decision from the Deputy Minister of Culture and Sports Mr Stavros Kontonis, the Greek Cup final has been postponed following a request from the police and the recommendation of the anti-violence committee,” said a government statement.
No new date for the game has been announced. And it would not be unlikely that the cup final may be scratched altogether after the turmoil that has surrounded the tournament.
This season’s Greek Cup saga started on March 2, when the first leg of the PAOK-Olympiacos semi final was violently interrupted after PAOK fans stormed the pitch and clashed with police.
The following day, Kontonis arbitrarily decided to cancel the cup, claiming disruption of public order. This brought a war between him and EPO. FIFA and UEFA intervened, suggesting that Kontonis’ move was against the football self governance rule that applies worldwide. The international football governing bodies threatened to expel Greek clubs and national teams from international competitions.
At the end, the two sides came to a compromise to allow the cup to continue with all games, including the final, to be played behind closed doors. AEK played two semi finals against Atromitos without fans and qualified for the final.
PAOK refused to play the second leg against Olympiacos, claiming the bad referee decisions in the first leg were responsible for their loss, and never showed up on the pitch. They were punished accordingly by having three points deducted from the 2016-2017 championship and a heavy fine.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
