I'm not talking about specifically assigning refs, I'm talking about controllling the entire ref committee.
Greece is a country of 9 million, roughly the size of Rhode Island. A handful of businessmen can, and do, control the entire country...pro soccer included.
Another famous one was Rumania in the communist days. Somehow, the team that represented the secret police always won!
Well, let me put it this way...there hasn't been a dictatorship in Greece since 1973-74. Nonetheless, in the last 21 years, under two different Presidents, Olympiakos has won 19 League Championships. The only two years they didn't win is when Olympiakos didn't control EPO/KED. Putting this in historical context, prior to 1996 (70 years), the league championship distribution would be more or less as follows: Olympiakos 40% Panathinaikos 30% AEK 20% Others 10% From 1996 to 2017, the distribution was: Olympiakos 90% Panathinaikos 10% Not coincidentally, the last 20 years coincides with Champions League $$$ and legalized betting on soccer games in Greece. Hence the financial incentive to win championships has been much greater the last 20 years than in the previous 70, and Greek soccer has seen unparalleled levels of corruption in that time period, including two major match fixing scandals.
Fascinating read - although the antics are problematic I'll just say I admire the passion and fanaticism that I see in European club soccer. And the "golden rule" applies everywhere: he who has the gold, makes the rules. Just watching the men near the owner you can tell he's not someone you want to mess with.
Fines, suspensions and penalties: PAOK -Forfeit match to AEK with the score of 0-3 -Three point deduction from current standings -Two point deduction from next years standings -Three home matches without any fans in attendance IVAN SAVIDDIS -Three year ban from entry into any Greek stadium -$100,000 Euro fine LUBOS MICHEL -Ninety day ban from entry into any Greek stadium -$15,000 Euro fine PAOKs protest of the referees abandonment of the match, seeking a 10 point deduction from AEK for allegedly refusing to resume the match, was DENIED. The above leaves AEK eight points clear of PAOK and Olympiakos with five matches remaining.
I would like to know fellow forum members reaction to the punishments. PAOKs stance is that AEK was responsible for the abandonment by not returning to the pitch. The referee in his match report wrote that PAOK was responsible for the abandonment. It should be noted that the referee never returned to the pitch to whistle for a restart.
it should also be noted that the referee who abandoned this match, Giorgos Kominis, was the same ref who abandoned a match last year involving a PAOK v Panathinaikos, but this time wrote that Panathinaikos was responsible for the abandonment (PAO fans threw a beer can which hit PAOK coach Vladan Ivic in the head).
Without knowing the disciplinary history of the league, the results of any investigation and the clubs as well as you do, it's really impossible to have an informed opinion.
The decision conforms to a T with the rules of the competition and accompanying Penal Code. The only issue was who caused the abandonment. The ref says PAOK. PAOK says AEK. Only in Greece. Of course, there are also those PAOK supporters of the mindset that since SAVIDDIS didn't actually fire the gun there was no just cause for abandonment by the ref.
I once spoke to a ref who said that when he was Reffing HS soccer in West Virginia, he had a fan come up to him and say “My Colt (revolver) would like to talk to you, ref.” The ref responded by saying “Then he can discuss it with Mr. Remington!” Nothing further was said.
Update PAOKs appeal of their point deduction and match forfeiture has been DENIED. With their home win on Sunday v Levadeiakos in front of 70,000 fans, AEK has been crowned League Champion for 2017-18, the first time in 24 years.
@aek 1924 , I've read the Greek FA has brought in a foreign referee (Fernandez Borbalan) to do the cup final. Both teams apparently vetoed every possible domestic choice! Any other light you can shed on this?
According to the Royal Spanish Football Federation: Referee: David Fernández Borbalán Assistant referees: Raúl Cabañero Martínez and José Manuel Matías Caballero Additional assistant referees: Jesús Gil Manzano and Carlos del Cerro Grande Fourth official: Taso Sidiropoulos All Spanish crew except the Greek fourth official. Fernández Borbalán should retire from refereeing Spanish soccer after this year (Spanish rules).