Clubs pay price for violence in stands
Seeking to curb stadium violence, a sports disciplinary committee yesterday imposed fines on three first-division soccer clubs for incidents that included objects hurled onto the field. Thessaloniki club PAOK was fined 14,000 euros, Panionios Athens 2,000 euros, and Proodeftiki 1,200 euros. During the opening round of the Greek league last weekend, fans lobbed rocks, coins, smoke bombs and firecrackers onto fields. Some fires were also set. The committee also ordered third-division club Ethnikos to play one home game before empty seats. In a related meeting, soccer officials and police ordered teams to provide a list of names of fans transported by clubs to the stadium. Earlier this week, a deputy vice president of the Greek soccer federation was hospitalized after being attacked by two men wielding an iron bar. An increase in stadium violence is blamed for a decline in attendance around Greece. (AP)
