OFFICIAL: Olympiacos escape points deduction for Patras chaos
After fan trouble during a Greek Cup match against Panachaiki in Patras, Olympiacos were threatened with a points deduction, but the Piraeus club escaped with just a 60,000 euro fine.
On November 1, Olympiacos travelled to Patras to play Panachaiki in the second match of the Greek Cup group stages, winning the game 2:0 with goals from Vasilis Torosidis and Matias Nahuel. However, after 51 minutes of play at the Pampeloponnisiako Stadium, the referee called a halt to proceedings after skirmishes among Olympiacos fans and police broke out on the stands. Play eventually resumed after a 15-20 minute break.
Taking into account previous incidents involving leading Greek clubs, it was expected that Olympiacos would be handed a three-point deduction and ordered to play matches behind closed doors, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, Olympiacos have only been punished with a fine amounting to 60,000 euros. The Hellenic Football Federation (EPO) Disciplinary Committee released its decision with this statement:
“Olympiacos FC has been punished with a fine of sixty thousand (60,000) euros for violations of the Disciplinary Code which happened on 01/11/2018 in a match between Panachaiki 1981 FC and Olympiacos FC in the Greek Cup.”
From the outset, Olympiacos outlined that the riot police in Patras instigated the chaos with their aggressive behaviour towards the visiting supporters, which included firing tear gas into a crowd where young children were present. Photos on the internet clearly displayed the police forcing families out of the arena with batons in their hands, images which shocked the Greek footballing community.
The EPO Disciplinary Committee unanimously accepted Olympiacos’ version of events and decided to let the Thrylos off the hook with a 60,000 fine. Olympiacos have qualified for the Last 16 of the Greek Cup with six points in two games against Levadiakos (1:0) and Panachaiki (2:0) in Group 5.
