Sports journalists to skip matches?
Responding to an attack by fans on the press booths at a major basketball game last weekend, the Greek Sports Writers Association (PSAT) held an emergency meeting yesterday calling for a widespread ban from sports commentary in the next round of top-league basketball action, on November 4 and 5. Several journalists sustained light injuries on Sunday when angry fans of Olympiakos basketball club attacked the press booths after their team lost a cliffhanger match to defending champion Panathinaikos. At yesterday’s meeting, PSAT called for the journalists’ union ESIEA and all other affiliated groups to back its proposal. The sports writers’ union also requested that commentators abstain from covering the two next Champions League soccer matches involving Greek clubs, tonight and tomorrow. But it remained unclear last night whether this request would take affect. Christos Panagopoulos, the president of State Radio and Television (ERT), reportedly contacted ESIEA seeking an exemption to the ban for tomorrow’s Champions League game involving AEK at home against Lille. ERT holds the television broadcasting rights for Champions League games played on Wednesdays.
