In his post, the Minister of Citizen Protection, Michalis Chrysochoidis, refers to the results of the actions of the Directorate for Combating Organized Sports Violence on social media, stressing that “the Greek Police will continue their work, showing zero tolerance for fan violence”.

In detail, in his post, Mr. Chrysochoidis says:

“Good morning and have a good week.

Today I will share with you the account of the action of the Greek Police services to deal with a form of violence, fan violence, which, among other things, destroys one of the most important activities a person can have, sports.

After the assassination of Giorgos Lyggeridis, in December 2023, the Government took a difficult but necessary decision to hold Superleague 1 football matches without the presence of fans for a period of two months.

At the same time, under the coordination of the Deputy Minister of Sports and the assistance of the co-competent Ministries such as Citizen Protection, a series of measures and interventions were launched, so that the country has a comprehensive arsenal to prevent and deal with fan violence (cameras, electronic ticketing, special ticket procurement procedure for minors, upgrading of the DEAB, digital register of Fan Clubs, etc.). Following a tight schedule, fans returned to the stadiums in February 2024.

So from point zero, behind closed doors, we arrived in May 2024 at the organization of the final of the UEFA Conference League in Athens, with the Greek Police guaranteeing with absolute success the safe conduct of such an important pan-European sporting event.

Now let’s move on to our review.

For its part, therefore, the Greek Police, in addition to the security of the matches and the control and utilization of the camera and surveillance systems, made changes to deal more effectively with fan violence. The main ones were the new, modern, flexible and effective operational planning for the security of the events under the name “Kallipateira” and the inclusion of fan violence in the responsibilities of the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, a choice, the usefulness and correctness of which will substantiate with evidence.

Over a period of twelve months, nationwide, the Greek Police Services they made 281 arrests related to dealing with fan violence and in 211 controls on fan clubs.

The special service of the Hellenic Police for combating fan violence is the Directorate for Combating Organized Sports Violence, in Athens and Thessaloniki, which is now a constituent part of the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime. These two services handle the most serious cases and especially those that have a connection with other forms of organized crime.

YAOAB officers in 2024 investigated 42 cases, arrested 171 perpetrators and identified the involvement of others 210 perpetrators in various incidents.

Of the 171 perpetrators who were arrested 164 were adults and 7 minors. 17 of them were foreigners.

To understand the threat of organized fan violence and its connections with other forms of organized crime, the evidence from the two most serious cases handled by the YAOAB is sufficient.

The first is the arrest of 67 perpetrators, the 63 members of a criminal organization, for the attack on the MAT platoon and the murder of Deputy Chief Constable Giorgos Lyggeridis. The specific defendants were also involved in fifteen other illegal acts in Attica, Volos and Ioannina. In this particular case, more than 1,000 persuasions were confiscated, while arrests were also made for drugs and weapons possession.

The second concerns the arrest of 72 perpetrators for violent incidents and gunshot injuries among Panathinaikos fans. In this specific case, fifteen weapons and items that can be used for assault and narcotics were seized. The perpetrators were also accused of involvement in extortion, beatings and arson of shops.

Stadiums and sporting events are not places of violence and organized criminal activity. They belong to families, to young people and to those who want to enjoy the game. The Greek Police will continue their work, showing zero tolerance to fan violence”.