Written on bwinSPORT FM: “Melissanidis told me I would play the field and leave, but I didn’t believe him”

His opinion about him Dimitris Melissanidis and his offer to AEK expressed the Vangelis Grammenosspeaking on the show “Tuesday Appeal” of Kyriakou Thomaidis to News Bulletin 247.

For his departure Dimitris Melissanidis from AEK and his offer, he emphasized: “I had met him during the pre-election period, having the status of the president of EPS Macedonia, we did not know each other. It is a loss, first for AEK, but also for Greek football. It got her to where she got and I’m not just talking competitively, but also with the construction of the stadium, which is a gem. His name is inextricably linked with the history of AEK. There have been other presidents from AEK who offered a lot, but at the top of the hierarchy of its presidents is Dimitris Melissanidis. We talked often, my relationship was very good. I had no particular problems with these people, with their practices I have. That is, with their fights. Dimitris Melissanidis is a very strong personality and when he set a goal, he did not back down and achieved it. I repeat, it is a loss for AEK, but also for Greek football. He needs investors of his caliber. He had told me that “I will do the pitch and leave”, but I didn’t believe him and I told him so. I tell him you are not going to leave, AEK is your life. Unfortunately, however, the fullness of time came. Greek football owes him a lot and the AEK organization much more. I had the problems with the stadium then, with the appeals and he was upset. But he is a stubborn man».

When asked to comment on the fact that the national team does not have its own training center pointed out: “It must become a training center, we had started then too. We had also found a place, Mr. Vrakas was running the plan. However, EPO did not have the funds. There are now programs that support such projects. Agios Kosmas was a temporary solution, but the National Team remained there, since nothing is more permanent than temporary in Greece. And to have the possibility to find fields to train, it is not wise to be here and there. Football has changed, it has become a science».

On whether a president of EPO can do in four years something that was not achieved in the previous 20 years, on the occasion of its ascension by M. Gagatsis: “If you are referring to what Makis Gagatsis announced programmatically, they can be done within four years. The training center can be done within four years. The rest are administrative in nature. Strengthening VAR can be done, it’s not difficult. The training is difficult or the staffing of the KED by foreign referees. Freudfeld was Clattenberg’s running mate and voted 4-0 over Clattenberg in the Big-4. The balance is tipped in favor of foreign referees».

Asked whether we should be satisfied with football justice with regular referees: “I am in favor of regular judges. I will not agree with the view that we should revert to other eras. I must remind you that we are far from the philosophy of Switzerland. A throwback to pre-2015 seasons with a mixed lineup. The framework, the disciplinary law, must be tightened. Everyone can’t go out and write whatever they want. A class must be entered».