Ticket sales start for Denmark friendly
Tickets for Greece’s soccer friendly against Denmark next week go on sale today on the Internet and from tomorrow at the Karaiskakis Stadium, at relatively low prices. The Hellenic Football Federation (EPO) announced yesterday that tickets for the February 11 match against Denmark will be made available from today until Monday at www.epo.gr, as well as from tomorrow at Gate 25 of the Karaiskaki Stadium in Piraeus, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. except for Saturday and Sunday. Tickets cost 10 and 20 euros, while season tickets are also valid. The next home game Greece will play will be on April 1 and is a World Cup qualifier against Israel at the Pankritio Stadium in Iraklion. The Israeli soccer federation has already asked for as many as 4,000 tickets for its traveling fans. However, EPO is reportedly prepared to send no more than 1,000 tickets, given the huge demand expected by Greece fans in Crete as well as the significance of the match for the national team. Separately, reports suggest Greece manager Otto Rehhagel has agreed to the appointment of fitness coach Nektarios Pantazis, who was recommended by Under-21 team manager Nikos Nioplias. Rehhagel also had his first meeting with the newly elected chief of EPO, Sofoklis Pilavios, on Monday. He reportedly remarked to Pilavios that «in Greece, soccer players do not enjoy the game as much as they should.» Platini letter The president of European soccer body UEFA, Michel Platini, sent a letter of congratulations to Pilavios on Monday. Platini noted some of the key qualities needed to head a federation and offered his support to Pilavios. «Having already gained some experience as president, I suggest that you can compare a [soccer] team to a federation or confederation, as you have to make use of many qualities to obtain success: management skills, initiative, responsibility, anticipation, tact, determination and also sometimes the strength to make unpopular decisions for the good of the team,» wrote Platini. «However, whatever the hurdles may be, as long as the goal is the good of the team, your actions will always pay off. You can always count on my support,» Platini said in the letter.
