The Hellenic super league has been thrown into disarray just days before the competition was meant to kick off after the Professional Sports Commission decided not to grant a license to Olympiakos Volou and Kavala on August 23, effectively relegating them to the fourth division by dissolving their professional clubs.
Initial reports suggested the decision would force the temporary postponement of the Super League, originally scheduled to begin today, August 27.
A decision has not yet been made though as defending champions Olympiakos Pireaus pressed on for the commencement of the league on time, while rival clubs Panathinaikos and AEK Athens asked for a temporary postponement.
The commission denied the two clubs a permit after a seven-and-a-half hour meeting on Tuesday, in which it decided that neither Kavala nor Olympiakos Volou had made any substantial changes to their ownership status following a life ban on their owners, Makis Psomiadis and Achilleas Beos respectively.
Last month both men received a ban by sports justice for their part in a match-fixing scandal.
That means both clubs have been sent directly to the fourth division, with Levadiakos and Doxa Dramas supposedly ready to take their place.
According to Kathimerini, the two banned clubs, Kavala and Olympiakos Volou have no right to appeal the decision, unless they resort to the Council of the State.
“We are determined to put an end to violence and corruption in Greek soccer. The commission’s decision are in the right direction, and those who underestimate it are wrong,” commented Culture Minister Pavlos Geroulanos, whose portfolio also includes sports.
Reports of violence came in early from the city of Volos, where fans were burning flags attacking the office of Panathinaikos fan club.