Vangelis Marinakis said Tuesday he was stepping down as president of the Greek Super League after the government announced matches will be played without spectators until February 12 following a series of violent incidents.
“I have neither the time nor the desire to continue to be involved in the management of the league while the words of certain board members are not consistent with their actions,” Marinakis, the owner of Olympiakos, wrote in a letter to the Greek league’s board of directors.
Shipping magnate Marinakis also owns English Premier League club Nottingham Forest.
The Greek government on Monday said games will be played behind closed doors for the next two months as authorities step up security measures at stadiums to clamp down on violence.
“I condemn unequivocally all forms of violence, both in society and in football,” the 56-year-old Marinakis wrote in his resignation letter, assuring he wanted to rid Greek football “of the criminal elements that are killing it”.
The government’s decision to bar spectators came after a police officer was severely injured last week when he was struck by a flare as rival fans clashed during a volleyball game in the capital.
An 18-year-old has been arrested and placed in custody.
Marinakis went on to criticise “certain people” who he claimed did not contribute to combatting the violence, without elaborating further.
“I tried to create professional refereeing… and all this with the agreement of the vast majority of teams,” he wrote.
“But it seems that certain people don’t want to change it.”
Last weekend’s games in the top flight were postponed after referees said they would not officiate in protest at what they called dangerous working conditions.
Source: AFP
