OPINION

Super League ‘good idea’

I think the proposed Super League for Greek soccer is a step in the right direction. As a huge fan of Greek soccer, I think it would also benefit Greek soccer to reduce the number of Athens teams. The Greek first division does not need Ionikos, Akratitos, Kallithea, Atromitos and Aegaleo, which have small followings and barely draw 500 fans per game. I know with the promotion and demotion system this can’t be forced, but the Greek League needs more teams from the periphery like Xanthi, OFI and Larissa that can draw more than 10,000 a game. Cities like Patras should have a first-class team in the first division where there would be a potential for them to draw a large following from the Achaia prefecture. Teams like Ioannina and Doxa Drama, with an eventful history and a large fan base, must refind their footing to return to the top flight. And only if teams from Salonica are competitive – like PAOK, Iraklis and Aris with their large fan bases – can they really make the Greek League competitive. Otherwise it should be renamed the Athenian League and become a local competition among neighborhood Athenian teams drawing 500 fans (excluding AEK, Panathaniakos and Olympiakos) which don’t fire the imagination of the soccer romantics. ANASTASIOS ANASTASIOU, Boston, Massachusetts.

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