Soccer Grexit averted, Cup restarts behind closed doors
Greece has definitely averted the risk of getting excommunicated from international soccer as on Friday the Sports Ministry announced its decision for the restarting of the Greek Cup.
The decision, signed by Deputy Minister for Sports Stavros Kontonis, provides for the semifinals (the three games left, i.e. Olympiakos vs PAOK, AEK vs Atromitos and Atromitos vs AEK) to take place behind closed doors, while the final will be held in front of schoolchildren only. Tickets will not be issued for the final, at the Olympic Stadium of Athens in May.
Crucially, the decision further stresses that FIFA and UEFA will undertake the cleaning up of the Hellenic Football Federation (EPO), which means that after inviting the foreign institutions to sort out the country’s finances with the bailout agreements, Greece is now doing the same with soccer.
The federation announced on Fridday that the AEK vs Atromitos game will take place next Wednesday (April 20), the return leg at Atromitos on April 26 and the Olympiakos vs PAOK match on April 27. The final is scheduled for May 7.
