It was December 11, when the government representative, Pavlos Marinakisannounced the Government’s decision to close the football stadiums of the Super League teams for two months. The announcements were made in the wake of the serious injury of the police officer Giorgos Lyggeridis by a naval flare, during incidents that took place on 7/12, outside the closed gym “Melina Merkouris” of Rentis, while the volleyball match between Olympiakos and Panathinaikos was in progress . The unfortunate policeman breathed his last twenty days later and was the third victim of fan violence in Greece in less than two years, after Alkis Kampanos in Thessaloniki, in February 2022, and Michalis Katsouris in New Philadelphia, in August 2023.

In the intervening two months, the Ministry of Sports drafted and tabled the bill for measures to deal with fan violence, volwhich was voted by a large majority by the Parliament and became the law of the State. Thus, from next Tuesday, February 13, the Super League stadiums reopen for fans, but with new data that will be implemented, either immediately or within the next two months, with precise and “tight” schedules. As was typically mentioned during the presentation of the new measures, by the Minister of Digital Governance, Dimitris Papastergiou, the Deputy Minister of Sports, Yiannis Vroutsis, and the government representative, Pavlos Marinakis, “the stadiums are opening in a new environment”.

The main change which will take effect from the first day, may not be immediately noticed by the fans who will go to the stadium, but it is of capital importance, as it concerns the imposing penalties on groups in case of delinquent behavior of their followers, such as throwing dangerous or flammable objects (firecrackers, flares, etc.) and fans invading the playing field. The reformed and strengthened in terms of competences the Permanent Committee to Combat Violence (DEAB) will impose administrative sanctions (fines, partial closure of stands and penalties for holding matches behind closed doors) with captive jurisdiction. Nouns, an automated penalty framework is established, depending on the seriousness of the offenses and their repeatability (delinquent teams will be punished more heavily), which will be imposed and exposed immediately, without going through sports justice. In fact, the law provides that, if the DEAB does not activate the punishments immediately, two days after receiving the Police report, the prescribed sanctions will be imposed directly by the competent Minister of Sports.

The second milestone is March 6, when it should be completed in all the stadiums that host Super League matches, as well as A1 basketball (Basket League), the installation and operation of the supervision and monitoring systems according to the new specifications. In essence, the law defines a very broad field of operation of the cameras, which will cover almost the entire sports facility, including the corridors leading to the dressing rooms of the teams, but also the referees, which has been a constant request of the arbitration bodies. The legal operation of the system will be checked by the police three days before each match and, only if it is found that everything is in order, will the presence of spectators be allowed. Otherwise, the home team will have 12 hours to resolve any issues and, failing that, the match will be played behind closed doors. Additionally, if on the day of the match the Police find a problem with the operation of the surveillance system, a behind closed door penalty will be imposed for the team’s next home match, while the illegal operation of the cameras will be an aggravating factor in the event of incidents.

The last time change is the one that will be felt even more by everyone who goes to the stadium, since it concerns the ticket holder identification process through the gov.gr Wallet application. The measure will come into effect on April 9 and is about matching a unique ticket code to a natural person, as explained by the Ministry of Digital Governance, which is responsible for the process. Without identification, no ticket holder – either single match or season ticket holder – will be able to enter the stadium, while violators are subject to both monetary penalties and a ban on entering the stadiums for six months (twelve in the event of a repeat). Special provisions are provided for the entry of minors under the age of 15, foreign residents and visitors.

It is certainly not the first time that strict measures have been announced to combat the scourge of violence linked to sports. However, as the Government underlines, this network of measures (which also includes regulations for Fan Clubs, a delinquency clause, based on which the funding of teams from betting etc. will be reduced) will be implemented and will succeed, because “. .. everything is now described explicitly and categorically, without gaps in the provisions. You can’t escape from them”, as the Ministry of Sports emphasizes.