Olympiakos Volou, Kavala sent to the fourth division
The Professional Sports Commission decided not to grant a license to Olympiakos Volou and Kavala on August 23, effectively relegating them to the fourth division by dissolving their professional clubs.
The decision on a practical level also means the temporary postponement of the Super League, originally scheduled for the weekend of August 27-28, although no formal announcement has been made yet about when it will commence.
The commission denied the two clubs a permit after a seven-and-a-half hour meeting on Tuesday, in which it decided that neither Kavala nor Olympiakos Volou had made any substantial changes to their ownership status following a life ban on their owners, Makis Psomiadis and Achilleas Beos respectively.
Both men received a ban by sports justice last month for their part in a match-fixing scandal.
As a result, the two clubs are sent directly to the fourth division, and their place is supposed to be taken by the fourth and fifth clubs in last season’s second division, i.e. Levadiakos and Doxa Dramas.
There is no option for Kavala and Olympiakos Volou to appeal the decision, unless they resort to the Council of the State.
“We are determined to put an end to violence and corruption in Greek soccer. The commission’s decision are in the right direction, and those who underestimate it are wrong,» commented Culture Minister Pavlos Geroulanos, whose portfolio also includes sports.
Reports of violence came in early from the city of Volos, where fans were burning flags of the ruling party and attacking the office of the local fan club of Panathinaikos.
