SPORTS

Effort to dethrone Marinakis fails

Panathinaikos’s effort to have Olympiakos owner Vangelis Marinakis deposed from the presidency of the Super League failed on February 25, while the Reds have escaped with a lenient punishment for the violence at the derby of February 19.

In an extraordinary session, held not at the Super League headquarters but at a hotel by the airport for fear of Panathinaikos fans, the league’s organizer voted down the proposal by Panathinaikos against Marinakis by eight votes to three.

The predictable result saw acting Panathinaikos president Dimitris Gontikas storm out of the room, with Marinakis saying afterwards in a conciliatory mood that «next time I want Panathinaikos to be present, too.»

The Greens, however, have taken the issue of the violence against their players on February 19 to the Hellenic Football Federation, UEFA and FIFA, while Panathinaikos superstar Djibril Cisse sued Marinakis for his alleged verbal attack on the French international striker.

The decision by the disciplinary committee of the Super League on February 24 to force Olympiakos to play just one match at home behind closed doors has increased suspicions from the part of Panathinaikos. AEK also protested at the leniency of the decision, which includes a 140,000-euro fine.

The committee was not as lenient with Olympiakos skipper Vassilis Torosidis, who received a five-match ban for the red card he saw during the derby, which Olympiakos won with a 2-1 score.

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