PAOK set to receive damaging punishment
Following the chaos at the Toumba Stadium before the PAOK versus Olympiacos match on Sunday, the Thessaloniki club are poised to be docked three points from the Super League standings.
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Just after the teams had entered the field of play, Olympiacos head coach Oscar Garcia was struck in the face by a paper roll from a cash register. The 44-year old Spaniard was promptly escorted from the arena and taken to a hospital, where he was diagnosed with a serious cut to the inside of his lip. The match was abandoned before a ball was kicked, but angry fans then engaged in nasty skirmishes with police outside of the Toumba Stadium.
As a result, PAOK now run the risk of seeing their title tilt receiving a huge knock. According to the rules, in the event of a game being permanently stopped because of a participant receiving an injury after an object was thrown from the crowd, the opposing team will be awarded a 3:0 win while the other club loses a further three points from the table and will play two or three home matches behind closed doors.
If PAOK are deducted three points from the table, the Thessaloniki club will move down to second place with 49 points, two behind potential new leaders AEK. Olympiacos will also have 49, but they are also set to lose three after their fan trouble against AEK. Their appeal against the EPO’s decision is still ongoing.
On Friday, the Super League’s Disciplinary Committee are planning to hold a meeting discussing the events which took place in Thessaloniki. PAOK and Olympiacos representatives will be present.
