The Best of GRReporter
flag_bg flag_gr flag_gb

Michel Platini in Athens to discuss fixed matches, high fines and imprisonment part of the new sports draft law

26 July 2011 / 16:07:09  GRReporter
4261 reads

On the eve of the visit of UEFA President Michel Platini in Athens revelations continue to shock. In the Greek capital he will meet with Prime Minister and the Minister of Culture and Sports in order to discuss the scandalous cases of fixed matches in the Greek Cup. 

Once again, the Greek media published dialogues between people discussing match-fixing, one of whom is the already arrested Ilias Tsakoyanis. Interestingly, it became known from the that he spoke with Ilias Fidanis, coach of the football club Panahaiki whose president Alexis Kougias submitted the recorded phone calls to the sports prosecutor a few months ago. From this record it is clear that the two men planned to settle the match between Olympiakos Hersonissou and Panachaiki, held on 14 April of this year, which ended with a score of 2-1 in favor of the team from Patras. The UEFA list defines the match as "particularly dubious" because of the strange betting and large sums that were set in foreign companies. 

This conversation was between the former chief leader of Panachaiki, Petros Statakis and functionary of the Olympiakos Hersonissou team. Most interesting in this phone conversation, is that the two interlocutors mentioned the name of lawyer Alexis Kougias. The dialogue between them revealed that he knows about the case and is even a "sponsor" of the fixed match. "Do they know that the money is from Kougias?" asks one of them, only to get the answer: "Yes, they know everything." The two men also mention the names of player Antonis Araviakis and right defender of Olympiakos Hersonissou, without giving out his name. 

Before the publication of this dialogue Alexis Kougias announced that it he has thrown out Petros Statakis from Panachaiki because of his cooperation with the owner of a large stake in football club Iliupoli, Ilias Tsakoyanis. The response of the Justice in this case is expected with great interest. 

Meanwhile, a bill is expected to be submitted in parliament in few days, with which the Ministry of Culture and Sport aims to remedy some problematic situations in Greek stadiums, especially related to violence by fans. Many of the new regulations in the draft are stricter for those who used to cause trouble in stadiums and sports businesses that cooperate with them, providing them with tickets, facilitate their transportation to matches held at the stadium of the opponent, etc. The legal text also provides for stricter penalties for those involved in match fixing, bribery and providing doping substances to persons. 

The bill empowers the competent minister to terminate meetings and championships, to prohibit the participation of teams in world championships and to prohibit the transportation of fans. The fine for offenders is up to one million euros. High fines and lengthy arrests are to be expected for team supervisors and owners of buses, with which the transportations of banned fans is done, if the "clients" of their services cause collisions or carry explosives or drugs in their luggage. 

The increased opportunity for intervention of the competent minister, who will be able to decide alone, is likely to be challenged by clubs under the pretext that is directed against self-management of football. 

According to the draft, within 12 months of the publication of the law in the Official Gazette, fans associations are required to be reorganized in clubs, which will operate under the supervision of sports companies and will be registered in the district courts. The anti-social behavior of supporters of the teams now can be punished with punishment delay or “buying out” of the punishment, and those sentenced to 2-5 years will have to appear at the police station during the match of the team they support. If they do not appear, there will be direct intervention by the prosecutor, who will require the revocation of the enforcement of the sentence and the convicted will be sent behind bars. 

Two years in prison and a fine of two hundred thousand to one million euros are foreseen for persons who receive, or promise to give "gifts" to referees, athletes and functionaries to achieve the desired result in unfair manner. 

The refusal of teams to introduce electronic tickets will be considered a crime of criminal law. Thus, representatives of sports companies and organizers of games are threatened with condemnation of at least one year in prison and a fine of 500,000 euros.

Tags: Greece football UEFA Michel Platini fixed matches bribing
SUPPORT US!
GRReporter’s content is brought to you for free 7 days a week by a team of highly professional journalists, translators, photographers, operators, software developers, designers. If you like and follow our work, consider whether you could support us financially with an amount at your choice.
Subscription
You can support us only once as well.
blog comments powered by Disqus