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tagged: AEK, destroy soccer pitch, Dundee United, Europa League, Fans Opinions, Gerasimos Ventouris, greek soccer fans destroy panionios pitch, greek soccer hooligans, hooligans, Nea Smyrni, Panionios, UEFAGreek Hooligans Destroy Soccer Field (Photos, VIDEO); AEK-Dundee at Karaiskaki
Posted by keeptalkinggreece in Sports, Uncategorized
This is disgrace and shame for the Greek Football caused by brainless soccer fans. Last night 150 furious hooligans storm Panionios Stadium, in Nea Smyrni, a southern suburb of Athens. They get gardener’s spades and whatever tool they can find, they even use a tractor parked there and start to dig up the pitch. They dig 20 big holes, they damage goal posts, destroy the beams in front of Gate 8, the bench of guest and journalists, they write slogans against UEFA, AEK and Gerasimos Ventouris, the chairman of Amateur Panionios.
When the vandals go , they leave behind a battlefield. Where is the police?
The hooligans, some call them “fans”, are angered by the decision of Panionios administration to rent the pitch for EURO 30,000, so Greek AEK can play against Scottish Dundee United for the second leg of the UEFA Europa League qualifier. AEK is arch rival of Panionios and home supporters can not allow AEK to play in their own yard. They hope , the match to be called off.
In the early morning hours workers try religiously to carry out remedial work but things are very bad…. The pitch looks as if been trampled by angry bulls.
UEFA gets notice and but before it inspects the repaired pitch, it announces, the match to take place at Karaiskaki Stadium, the 33,500-seats home field for Olympiakos in Piraeus. The AEK management decided not to allow own fans to the stadium, so only some 500 travelling fans of Dundee United will be on hand.
The AEK – Dundee Unitedmatch wasn’t under a good star right from the beginning. The game was originally planned to be played at the Olympic Stadium. But the pitch was deemed unplayable after a match between Panathinaikos and Genoa and a problem with the sprinkler system, that left the turf in a terrible condition.
The unprecedented damage of Panionios field causes outrage and Greek media speak of “pictures of shame”,”damaging the image of Greek football ” and “brainless fans” . The Aek-The-Offside.com, in an article called “Oh dear:Panionios fans trash Nea Smyrni...”, comments ironically: “ A heavily sarcastic hats off to the Greek hooligans who have once again outdone themselves with a display of utter petulance and stupidity, doing nothing but damaging the reputation of Greek football and generally causing headaches for everyone concerned”.
Gerasimos Ventouris, who gave the stadium to AEK, bypassing the objections of the major shareholder of Panionios FC Tsakiris and Kindis, submitted his resignation. Officially the objections were due to AEK’s debt to Panionios for the transfer of Makou.
Video Vandalised Panionios FC pitch
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I suppose not knowing the Greek football mentality make people present this piece of news in a strange way… AEK fans have been long known for committing atrocities against our many cities and football teams across Greece for many many years now.
The dilemma was simple: Either you make a small damage to your own stadium to stop a potentially much bigger or you let them come and trash the whole place! I think taking in mind the probabilities and the cost economics that was the wisest even though weirdest decision that had to be made.
As for sense being the Greek strong point or not I think I would have to refer you to 3000 years of written philosophy, mathematics and literature which happens to be the base of the European thinking…
Though I have one question for you: For one to be considered a hooligan wouldn’t he have to act violently in a physical way against a person or a person’s fortune? Against whom did the Panionios’ fans act against? They didn’t harm Mr. Ventouris who mistakenly gave the stadium to AEK, they didn’t trash no one’s private property, the damages were taken care of by next morning and the main panionios fan club are already paying with their own money for that… Why you call someone who does a desperate act of defending their own space against AEK PEOPLE WHO 2 WEEKS AGO RAN IN THE FIELD AND BEAT THE SH..T OUT OF THEIR OWN COACH DURING A FRIENDLY MATCH AS A PUNISHMENT FOR LEAVING THEIR TEAM 12 YEARS AGO???
Thanks for taking the time to comment, Theodoros, and making interesting points from the view of a Panionios fan.
No, Panionios supporters didn’t hurt persons but -sadly- their own home in an act of self-destruction. Is that a better justification than targeting others? In my humble opinion that’s not a reason not to call them ‘hooligans’ (Definition: Hooliganism =unruly, destructive, aggressive and bullying behaviour.The term can also apply to general rowdy behaviour and vandalism).
Theodoros, football sentiments are the same everywhere and old rivalties last for decades.
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