Advertisement
Paok's supporters throw toilet rolls and other projectiles prior to the Greek Superleague match against Olympiakos. AFP/Getty Images

Greek club's fans invade TV station in protest of Super League punishment

The supporters left peacefully after the announcement and no arrests were made.

SOME 40 PAOK Thessaloniki supporters invaded the studios of state-run Greek television station ERT 3 on Tuesday and forced a sportscaster to read a five-minute protest message on the air.

The fans left peacefully after the announcement and no arrests were made.

The hooligans were protesting the decision by the Super League to dock their team three points over last month’s clash with Olympiakos which was postponed when visiting coach Oscar Garcia was hit by an object thrown from the stands.

The 25 February match was awarded 3-0 in favour of Olympiakos while PAOK were fined €30,000 and must play their next two home matches behind closed doors, including one against league leaders and title rivals AEK Athens.

“The administration of ERT condemns in the most categorical manner the invasion of fans of a football team in the ERT 3 studios during live broadcast,” an announcement from the station said.

FBL-GRE-SUPERLEAGUE-PAOK-OLYMPIAKOS Olympiakos' Spanish coach Oscar Garcia Junyent (C) reacts after being hit in the face by a toilet roll. AFP / Getty Images AFP / Getty Images / Getty Images

The station said the action stopped the normal flow of the programme “in a deeply undemocratic act which is in no way compliant with the sporting spirit”.

In the announcement, the PAOK supporters said that the decision by the Super League “was the biggest sporting scandal of all-time”.

They called on all PAOK supporters to take part in a protest rally on Thursday in the centre of Thessaloniki as well as a march on Sunday before the scheduled home match with AEK.

PAOK have appealed the decision by the Super League, stating that Spaniard Garcia faked his injury, despite the coach spending the night in hospital and being diagnosed by a neurologist with sensitivity to the left temporal joint, dizziness, neck pain and nausea.

AFP, 2018

The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!

Liverpool comfortably secure Champions League quarter-final spot>

Autopsy reveals Fiorentina captain died of cardiac arrest>

Author
View 3 comments
Close
3 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

    Leave a commentcancel