The long-standing problem of the Super League and Greek football in general, which creates tension and friction between the teams, is refereeing. That is why FIFA and UEFA in collaboration with the Big 4 have brought in foreign referees for the last seven years, so that there are no shadows not only in the definitions of referees but also in their punishments. For four months now, the president of KED has been the Frenchman Stéphane Lanois, the deputy president – VAR project manager is the Italian Paolo Valeri and the Spanish member Roberto Alonso Fernandez.
Their fees and the running costs of the Arbitration Committee shot up to €1 million and the EPO asked the league to cover 50% of the cost, i.e. to pay €500,000. According to the proposal discussed in the EPO Professional Football Committee, the Big 4 (PAOK, AEK, Olympiacos, Panathinaikos) would give 100,000 euros each and the other ten teams 10,000 euros each.
They threw the ball on the platform
There was almost an agreement, but the final approval had to be given by the league’s Board of Directors. A few days ago the matter was discussed in the cooperative council, however some groups with various pretexts threw the ball into the platform. When the president of EPO Makis Gagatsis was informed that the league’s board did not ratify the original agreement, changed course and with his partners decided that the federation should pay all the operating costs of KED.
“I do not tolerate ridicule from some, who behave according to whether they like refereeing every Sunday or the weekly video of Mr. Lanois” M. Gagatsis said during the week at the EPO Board of Directors and added: “The correct procedure, regardless of whether some people like KED or not, is for professional football to cover 50% of the remuneration of KED members. Even more so when the KED executives are a proposal from UEFA and specifically Mr. Rosetti”. And then the president of the federation dropped the “bombshell”: “The EPO will cover the expenses of the foreign members of the KED as long as its… pocket can handle it. If we can’t, then the composition of the Arbitration Committee will again become… Greek in order to greatly limit operational costs.”
Full speed to reverse
Since 2016 and the appointment of a Temporary Management Committee at the EPO, Greek football has made progress and it will be a big setback if the foreign referees leave the KED. And this is because due to their presence, a new “shack” cannot be created.
The removal of foreign referees will also limit the number of foreign referees appointed in CL1 games, so it is only a matter of time before the protests of PAE, who are used to blaming their own mistakes on the referee, strike again… red.
The Greek referees are not yet ready and able to officiate big games, as was clearly seen in the Cup match between AEK and Ari. THE Tasos Sidiropoulos committed a grave error in not expelling him Alberto Brignoliwho kicked him in the face during one of his outings Suleimanov. “After the Sidiropoulos refereeing I can understand why the Greek teams insist on appointing only foreign referees in the important games” argues P. Valeri in discussions he has with the Greek referees.
Mistakes have been made in the league so far, but there is no system that determines match results. In addition, referees who made mistakes (Sidiropoulos, Chetsilas, Tsolakidis) were punished and not absolved for them, as would have been the case in the “shack” era.
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#Greek #Lanois #EPO #squad
Question 1: How do you assess the role of foreign referees in improving the overall quality of football in Greece, particularly in relation to reducing the tension and friction between the teams?
Question 2: What challenges have you faced in your tenure as the president of KED, and how have you worked to address them?
Question 3: In your opinion, what are the primary reasons behind the resistance from some Greek football clubs to covering the operating costs of KED, particularly in light of the potential benefits of having a more diverse and objective arbitration committee?
Question 4: How do you address concerns about the readiness of Greek referees to officiate big games, given the large number of errors seen in recent matches and the high stakes involved in club competitions?
Question 5: How can KED ensure that its decisions are fair and impartial, particularly when dealing with disputes between clubs from different backgrounds or with political interests?
