Rehhagel issues first call-ups
The first nine players to man Greece’s preliminary squad ahead of soccer’s World Cup were made known on Monday as coach Otto Rehhagel invited the foreign-based internationals. Steaua Bucharest striker Pantelis Kapetanos has earned the German coach’s trust and is among the players chosen for the first training sessions, set to start on Monday, May 17. Alexandros Tziolis is returning to the team thanks to a successful loan spell at Siena in Italy from Panathinaikos, while injured Vassilis Pliatsikas of Schalke and Yiannis Amanatidis of Eintracht Frankfurt were left out. Rehhagel has called up Fanis Gekas (Hertha Berlin), Pantelis Kapetanos (Steaua), Sotiris Kyrgiakos (Liverpool), Vangelis Moras (Bologna), Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Genoa), Christos Patsatzoglou (Omonia Nicosia), Giorgos Samaras (Celtic), Alexandros Tziolis (Siena) and Angelos Charisteas (Nuremberg). The rest of the squad is to be announced later this month. Playoffs The Super League playoffs are resuming today with AEK hosting Aris at 7 p.m. and PAOK clashing with Olympiakos at 9.15 p.m., as both games were postponed from yesterday.
