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The secondary committee of the Hellenic Football Federation "rescued" the teams of Olympiakos Volou and Kavala from downgrading and replaced their penalty with a simple taking of points from the next Championship.

The Greek media identified the decision as "poor performance" as both teams were penalized because of the proven involvement of their owners Ahileas Beos and Makis Psomiadis in a criminal network for match fixing.

The Football Federation considered that the decision of the Super League does not comply with the law, which according to many commentators is made to facilitate any violation and criminal act by football activists. In particular, the Football Federation decided to take ten points from Olympiakos Volou and eight from Kavala and then ruled that both teams remain in the first group.

A little later, it became clear that UEFA have refused even to read the arguments for the decision. Unlike their Greek counterparts, the members of the board of the International Federation deprived the two Greek teams of participation in the European Championships for five years.

The Greek media commented ironically and angrily that those responsible football authorities have not even been touched by the arrests, detentions and arrest warrants of senior football activists. Some of them will end up directly behind the bars in the prison in Korydallos after their arrest.

The decisions of the prosecuting authorities are based on the evidence, which UEFA submitted to the Greek justice. Interrogations continue, but the participation of dozens of persons in the match fixing scandal is not questioned by anyone.

The football club of Larissa, which expected to remain in the first group after the downgrading of the "scandalous" teams, put the beginning of the first negative responses by other teams. In its ironic message, the club stated that from now on any football activist will be able to deal with illegal (or legal) betting, without fear that his team could be downgraded... Everybody will be able to bang on the table of the Minister Pavlos Geroulanos and the Secretary Panagiotis Bitsaksis and tell them: "You learned your lesson. From now on, get on with your work and we will get on ours."

The Minister of Culture and Sport in turn said, "While the UEFA is acting firmly to eliminate the practice of math fixing, the Greek sports law mitigates the punishment. State authorities respect the decisions of Justice, but are determined to continue all the way to improve the Greek football." Pavlos Geroulanos said that the Ministry used government subsidies, stadiums and televisions to exert pressure, and said that the Ministry would announce its decisions in full.

According to the deputy minister George Nikitiadis, in the coming days the government will decide whether to pass a law that will prevent the start of the championship. In addition, it is to be decided whether the state will provide the teams with state stadiums and whether the public lottery OPAP will continue to fund the football championship.