Alafouzos: “I’m on a mission – There is a culture of violence in Greece”

On the occasion of the derby with Olympiakos that was never completed after the firecracker was thrown, the Yannis Alafouzos spoke to Sky Sports about the environment of Greek football, violence and corruption.

His strong man Panathinaikou he did not hide his concern about the culture of violence that he finds in Greece, but he said that he sees that there is progress in the area of ​​arbitration and the reduction of corruption.

In fact, he declared that he was determined to lead Panathinaikos high, helping to create a better environment for Greek football, stressing that is on a mission.

It was also mentioned in the team’s new stadiumto the vision of the Panathenaic Alliance and why it did not proceed, but also its goal to be able to support the club in the future from its income.

Finally, he expressed his sorrow for the murder of Michalis Katsourisa friend of AEK, while at the same time he condemned the banner raised on the Avenue.

In detail, Yannis Alafouzos spoke about:

-if he enjoys being at the head of Panathinaikos since 2012: “No. I suffered so much and in many areas. It will take a lot of hits for me to enjoy it. Right now I’m on a mission, doing something that’s incredibly painful and difficult.”

-violence in Greece: “When fans are desperate and feel they are being robbed of their games, they become violent. In Greece we have a culture of violence. Unfortunately, the letter of the law is not applied. There was a situation where we had corruption, a struggling economy, a dominant team and a culture of violence among fans. People weren’t going to the stadium and sponsors were leaving.”

– the disparity created by the continuous presence of Olympiakos in the Champions League: “It’s exciting for two reasons: First, the big teams from the major leagues are seeing their revenue increase and multiply. In Greece one team went to the group stages almost every year and got millions, while other teams have much less revenue overall. Olympiacos received 30 million euros from participation in Europe, while Panathinaikos had a total income of 10 million euros last year. In addition, the federation selects their players for the National Team and they can sell them much easier and for more money, because they are better known playing in Europe. This created huge problems for every team except Olympiakos. It made the situation worse.”

-what the other teams did: “But Panathinaikos also made mistakes. Instead of trying to do things differently, we copied Olympiakos. We spent a lot of money and when the owners left because they had no more money to put into Panathinaikos, they left the team with a very expensive roster and a lot of debt.”

– the vision of the Panathenaic Alliance: “We remain the biggest team in Athens. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve had an idea that a team shouldn’t belong to one person. I was romantic. I believed that the team should own its fans. I started the Panathenaic Alliance believing that we have 100,000 fans who would pay 500 euros a year. If that happened, we would have revenues of €50 million a year and that would make a huge difference. Unfortunately it didn’t happen that way. We only had 6-7 thousand prefix members who paid much less money than we expected. The country was on the verge of bankruptcy. People had no money to spare, but it was also the fault that the previous owners had spread the idea that the club could pay for everything. Going from one extreme to the other, where everyone had to contribute, that didn’t work.”

– the progress of Panathinaikos, financially and competitively: “We have gradually paid off the debts and since then we have been rebuilding the team. In football you have to pay to get things done. There is no other way. My business was doing better, so I was able to put in more money. First to pay off debts and then to invest in the roster. I managed to bring in Ivan Jovanovic, a very good coach. Our income has increased and this year will be greater due to the participation in Europe. Through hard work, we are trying to build our academy with new pitches. We are doing everything we can to build the team from its roots.”

– the fight against corruption: “Only when you shed light can you stop corruption. If you do something under the table, these situations continue. Today the refereeing is better. That’s why you see a renaissance in Greek football with four teams in the European groups and a more competitive league, because before that there were people controlling the federation and the referees.”

-the murder of AEK’s friend in the summer: “What happened was tragic. The police could very easily stop it. They have a huge responsibility and were ineffective. This is what I mean by applying the letter of the law in Greece. Many times, when you break the law and are violent, you don’t get punished.”

-the banner of Panathinaikos fans for Dinamo Zagreb in the derby with AEK: “We pushed as hard as we could for him to go down after the first minute. The whole stadium cheered when they picked it up. This was very impressive. But he was never supposed to get up. It was a 40 meter banner. Then why do we have control on the field. But on the other hand, can the police confiscate it? Maybe a judge could say it incites violence. But it wasn’t easy to stop it. Not with the security we have. They cannot mingle with the fans. They would be beaten and the police would not be able to protect them. They are a small minority. Children without hope. The situation in societies is getting worse and worse in Europe. A 20% is getting poorer and more desperate. No way has been found to improve the lives of people who are not so well off. This creates all of the above. In any case, it was a disgusting act. People cannot be killed on the street. And it hurts the teams too, who get punished and get a bad reputation. No team is favored by this.”

– the new stadium of Panathinaikos: “We are building a new stadium. The Municipality has decided that it wants the area of ​​the field where we play now to turn it into a park with open space. In exchange, a stadium is being built in another part of the city, which we will use for 99 years. The goal is to be ready in 2026 with a capacity of 40,000 spectators. This will give the team more impetus for the future. We are progressing in the direction of becoming a club that will be supported by its income.”