Baltakos: “The fact that the championship is decided at the end is also due to Bennett’s choices”

Takis Baltakos mentioned in an interview that the chief referee, Steve Bennett, has a share in the success of this year’s sensational championship.

The president of EPO emphasized that with his selections of referees, the chief referee has played an important role in this shocking end of the league, both for the playoffs and the playoffs.

Referring to the final of the Cup, Takis Baltakos said that where it will be held and how, will be known in the coming weeks.

In detail, what Panagiotis Baltakos spoke on the radio of APE “Agency FM104.9”:

-On the possibility of holding the final of the Greek Cup in Agrinio:

“Agrinho is one of the options for the following simple reason: wherever the final is held, the stadium should have VAR. The stadiums of Ioannina, Agrinio, Lamia and Tripoli have VAR. If we go to a stadium that does not have VAR, it is a question of whether we have time to put in all the facilities that are required. Therefore, Agrinio is one of our options.”

-Where did the agreement with Achillea Beo for holding the final in Panthessaliko break down?

“Mr. Beos told me that the actors and institutions of the city still have fresh memories of the events of 2017 and that he himself does not want to go against the institutions of the city, since the elections are coming.”

-EPO wants a final with people, since we are talking about the celebration of football in every country?

“This festive character is something we all desire, but it is also the problem that mayors of various cities, such as Mr. Beos, do not accept its holding. Something for which the EPO has no responsibility and cannot intervene. They refuse the final for fear of episodes. So, we would like a final with people, but due to the refusals of the mayors, we are obliged to talk about invitations and behind closed doors. This is something that saddens the EPO, but we are forced to look at the reality and go to nominal invitations.”

-When will the final decision be made on where and how the final will be held?

“Next week the issue will be over. In a or b way. We have not sent letters to cities. The mayors call us and propose to organize the final in their city. But they don’t want people, only by invitations.”

-What is the position of PAE AEK and PAE PAOK?

“Their position is a crowded final. Teams want their people close. And the EPO wants the same. But none of us can impose our wishes on the Municipal Authorities, so we will go with the logic of the invitations by name.”

-Who will be the referee of the final, given the recent letter of the president of UEFA, Alexander Ceferin, which essentially prohibits the arrival of Elite and A΄ category referees in Greece?

“The answer is simple. The arbitrator will be the one appointed by KED. Based on the EPO and UEFA statutes, the Federation cannot interfere in the referee’s work. He decides. In fact, based on the statute, the EPO only informs. Therefore, the referee of the final will be the one decided by Mr. Steve Bennett.”

-For the referee who canceled his arrival in Greece for Aris-AEK and for the one who agreed, however, it was not possible to travel to our country:

“On the one hand, I can’t mention the names because I don’t know them, on the other hand, I don’t want to know them either. What KED conveyed to me is that the one who was appointed for the game at “Kleanthis Vikelidis”, canceled it, as soon as Ceferin’s letter came out that UEFA will no longer assist. For the other referee, from another Confederation, I know he was an Elite referee, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs could not issue him a VISA within such a short period of time. Due to the Schengen treaty it takes longer for the VISA to come out. People, of course, believe different things, they are under suspicion, but they must also know the truth.”

-Regarding Alexander Ceferin’s letter and whether there should be an investigation by UEFA about what happened in the recent matches, as well as the Polish referees of AEK – Aris:

“Regarding the Poles, we officially do not have any information from UEFA that an investigation has been launched. It is journalistic information. Of course, I cannot speak on behalf of UEFA about whether they will do any further investigation into the remaining incidents.”

-For all this toxicity that the agents of the teams put out regarding the referees who come:

“Obviously it is not the responsibility of the EPO. Teams have fans and have a responsibility to provide answers and solutions. Team managements want to be “okay” with their fans. That’s why they say what they say. I don’t think they believe it either. What is true is that the matter of arbitration is not a matter of “anathema”. If Mr. Bennett brings in an Elite or Class A referee and he makes a mistake, will it be Mr. Bennett’s fault?”

-For refereeing and the season finale:

“The fact that the championship, the title, is essentially contested until the last second, to a large extent is of course due to the strengthening of the teams, the effort of the football players and the coaching staff, but it is also due to KED and Mr. Bennett and the choices made he did. Even in the Play Outs, let’s not forget that there we only have Greek referees, but hardly the slightest thing has been heard”.

-Coming to the end of the season, was it ultimately a good season for EPO regarding the two competitions and the course of the National teams?

“It is a question that satisfies me very much. What interests the agents of the teams of all categories is the refereeing and whether they will achieve their goals. Totally understandable. However, for me, as the president of the Hellenic Football Federation, what interests me is the National Team, which did wonderfully, but also amateur football, which is a popular sport and occupies every village and district of the entire country. This year, we were able to finance amateur football, through the Associations, with the amount of 40,000 euros, while last year they received around 3,000 euros. This makes me very happy. In these two parameters, we are completely satisfied. And, of course, there is also the U-19 National Team, but also the Women’s National Team, which also had a completely successful year.”