Panathinaikos president suspended
Panathinaikos soccer club escaped suspension from domestic and international competitions, but its president was suspended over incidents following the March 24 match against Olympiakos. The sports judge decided to bar Panathinaikos President Angelos Philippidis from his office for a year; Philippidis was also barred from entering a soccer pitch for eighteen months. Philippidis, along with Panathinaikos coach Sergio Markarian, rushed to the pitch to confront referee Makis Efthymiadis who had awarded visiting Olympiakos a penalty in injury time. Philippidis and Markarian shoved and swore at Efthymiadis; they were followed by several fans who beat up the referee. Markarian was suspended from entering a soccer pitch for 40 calendar days. During this interval, he will only be able to guide his team from the stands. Markarian’s aide, Gabriel Molnar, and team physiotherapist Christos Karvounidis, accused of assault against Efthymiadis, were acquitted. The four are also being investigated by an Athens prosecutor. The judge decreed that Panathinaikos must play four home matches with spectators banned. The ban does not cover tomorrow’s match against Ionikos. Panathinaikos has one other home match left this season, against Xanthi. It will serve the rest of its sentence next season, in Cup or League games. A fine of 87,000 euros was slapped on Panathinaikos; Olympiakos was fined 33,000 euros. Tassos Mitropoulos, an assistant Olympiakos coach, who rushed in to confront Panathinaikos fans and made derogatory remarks about Philippidis («He should go to a women’s prison because he will have too much fun with the men») was barred from entering a soccer pitch for six months.
