Greece will introduce personalised tickets and ID cards in an effort to reduce escalating violence at football and basketball games.
From this season, tickets issued at the home grounds of football clubs Atromitos, Ergotelis, Levadiakos and Panionios will contain the buyer’s name, seat number and attendance record in a barcode.
More clubs will introduce these new tickets halfway through the season.
The three big clubs – Panathinaikos, Olympiakos and AEK Athens – will do so at the start of 2010-11 as they have already started selling tickets for the upcoming season.
‘We want families to return to sports venues,’ Greek sports Minister Yiannis Ioannidis said last week. Ioannidis said 306 violent incidents were committed in Greece’s top football division last season.
Only 15 people from the 306 were punished, despite the presence of closed circuit cameras in most venues.
Either the police turn a blind eye to incidents or judges release the suspects because the police who arrested them could not positively identify them,’ Ioannidis said.
Four basketball clubs – Panathinaikos, Olympiakos, Aris and PAOK – will also introduce the tickets when the season starts in October.
The other 10 topflight clubs will follow suit at an unspecified time.
The scheme is to be extended to other sports, notably men’s and women’s volleyball and water polo.
An electronic ‘Sports Fan’s Card’ is to be issued immediately.
It will contain the cardholder’s photo and personal information – to be entered into a national fans’ database – and will be obligatory for season-ticket holders.