The digital satellite pay broadcaster that holds the rights to Greece’s football “Superleague” will reportedly demand that a relevant sports minister allow a resumption of play, following an indefinite suspension of all games.
Minister Giorgos Vassiliadis suspended all top-flight pro football games in Greece last week after a second raucous derby – within a span of three weeks – transpired at PAOK Thessaloniki’s home field. PAOK officials stormed the pitch to protest a referee’s call disqualifying a 90th minute goal by the home team against league-leader AEK Athens. Two weeks earlier, a game with Olympiacos Piraeus failed to get underway when a cash register roll thrown from the stands hit the head coach of the latter squarely in the head, resulting in his brief hospitalization.
Scenes of controversial PAOK owner Ivan Savvidis running onto the field during the game with AEK surrounded by a coterie of body guards and with a revolver in a holster strapped to his belt were shown around the world.
The broadcaster, Nova, first demanded that the Superleague’s management work to reverse the suspension, however, the latter, which reaps the benefits of a television rights contract, declared that it lacked such jurisdiction.
Nova charges that it will suffer financial losses from the suspension.
