Greece bans spectators at football matches for 2 months

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) - Greece on Monday announced a set of measures in football matches to deal with violence from fans.

Speaking at the weekly press meeting, Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis football games would be played without spectators until Feb.12, 2024, and would also extend to the Greek Cup games and friendlies of Super League teams.

He added that football supporters should undergo identity checks before returning to the stadiums.

When asked why the measure was not extended to other sports, including basketball and volleyball, Marinakis maintained that the government considers football stadiums the core of violence in sports.

The government’s decision followed the recent incidents of sports violence that resulted in the severe injury of a 31-year-old police officer, who remains in intensive care since Thursday.