“The key to dealing with fan violence is one: political will,” emphasizes the president of SYRIZA PS, Stefanos Kasselakis, in a post on social media, criticizing the government for being unable to deal with the problem of fan violence and thus resorting to in a punitive policy everywhere without targeting and effect.

He comments in particular that “the government decided to hold matches behind closed doors for two months, doing what it always does. Can’t deal with violence on the pitches? It’s against all fans. Can’t he tackle tax evasion? It is aimed at all freelancers. Punitive policy everywhere, without targeting and result”. He adds that “the rest of the measures that were announced were the ones that we proposed on Saturday and that I presented this morning in a video.” “They are self-evident,” he says, “but the issue is finally to implement them.” “Because other times the Mitsotakis government announced measures, and since then we had the murder of a fan a few months ago and a policeman who is now fighting for his life”, he continues, adding that “the key to dealing with fan violence is one: political will”.

Citizen Protection and Sports Sectors SYRIZA: The measure will lead to the movement of the problem to other sports venues

With their announcement at the same time, the heads of the Citizen Protection and Sports departments of SYRIZA, Kostas Barkas and Alexandros Meikopoulos respectively, state that the horizontal measure to hold matches without spectators is the Government’s desperate attempt to save itself politically and emphasize that the measure will lead to the movement of the problem in other sports venues.

The announcements of the competent sectors of SYRIZA in detail:

First, we reiterate our warmest wishes for a speedy recovery to the policeman who was fatally attacked by members of organized crime who have apparently infiltrated the fan movement.

It was with particular satisfaction that we heard the Government representative adopt the proposals submitted publicly three days ago by the President of SYRIZA-PS Stefanos Kasselakis, such as the seamless supervision and surveillance of sports facilities with modern security systems through high-definition cameras and the installation of an electronic entry system fans with simultaneous identity verification. We consider that the absence of an initiative to disengage the police from the safe conduct of sports meetings and the transfer of responsibility to the Sports Societies (PAE, KAE, TAA), is part of the general context of sloppiness and prioritization of communication over the substance of the Mitsotakis Government.

Unfortunately, however, the Government – once again – is trying to do damage control without realizing that the fire is not extinguished with oil. The horizontal measure to hold matches without spectators is the Government’s desperate attempt to save itself politically for the uncontrolled and dangerous situation it created with its inaction in recent years.

It is a measure that, with mathematical precision, will lead to the movement of the problem to other sports venues. In essence, the phenomenon of extreme delinquency will leave football and go to, for example, basketball, volleyball and polo.

The government chooses to punish all athletes, sane fans, sports workers and healthy sport as a whole instead of drawing up – as it has not done for more than four years – an effective and functional plan to deal with the phenomenon which, for days her, has become gigantic.

The government must give explanations: The closing of the stadiums, what is its goal and who does it ultimately serve? Do they think this measure will end the violence?

We remind them that all the tragic incidents – such as the murder of Alkis Kampanos and Michalis Katsouris – did not happen inside the stadiums and during the games, but outside them.

The authoritarian and ineffective measure of holding matches without spectators is a confession of the government’s incompetence and attempts to hide its real responsibility, since violence in the guise of fans is a product of a social process and the accumulated impasses that the new generation is living with.