A meeting on the measures announced yesterday by the government aimed at dealing with fan violence is underway at noon on Thursday at the Ministry of Protection. The leadership of EL.AS participates in the meeting. as well as directors of police departments, department heads and county directors.

The key issue is the measures against hooliganism and the closure of fan clubs announced by the government.

Speaking earlier today to ERT, the Minister of Citizen Protection Yannis Oikonomou admitted that “there was information that ELAS did not manage properly”.

“We highlight the mistakes and deal with them in order to correct ourselves, to become better and not to repeat them” said Mr. Economou, while regarding the course of internal investigation which is carried out in ELAS noted that the seven officers removed will not be the only onesbut awaits the Sworn Administrative Examination of the Hellenic Police for the attribution of responsibilities.

“The process of investigating the responsibilities will be carried out objectively and with the prescribed procedures without concealing anything,” the minister stressed, adding that “the goal is in the future not to find ourselves in the same place again, not to be able to manage information and not to be able to let’s cope properly”, while regarding the descent of the Croatian hooligans who created the episodes, he said that this was something impermissible.

However, he pointed out that “failures should not lead us to leveling criticism and discredit”, underlining that the same police, on the night of the bloody incidents, arrested 102 hard-right hooligans, while that week managed to guard sports events in a heavy-handed context .

“A sequence of mistakes was made at the AEK stadium, but that does not mean that we have a disbanded police force,” he said.

“The problem is dealing with criminal behavior with a sports background. No measure alone can eliminate delinquency,” said Mr. Economou, arguing that a holistic approach is required with actions and interventions in a number of areas, such as the implementation of the existing legislative framework and the monitoring of links.

To the question what difference will the new measures announced by the prime minister have in relation to those that were passed after the murder of Alkis Kampanos, he answered that they did not eliminate criminality but were positive and resulted in the arrest of the perpetrators and in having these sentences .

Asked about the criticism he receives from the opposition parties and the request to submit his resignation from the position of the Ministry of Citizen Protection, Mr. Economou answered in the negative.

Finally, he said that he spoke with the family of 29-year-old Michalis, adding that everything possible will be done to bring justice to the murderer as well as to the participation and guidance.