PASOK calls for minister’s resignation in wake of leaked police report and soccer fan death

The opposition PASOK party has called for the resignation of Citizen Protection Minister Giannis Oikonomou after leaked police documents showed that authorities possessed prior knowledge of Croatian hooligans’ intentions to travel to Athens, potentially with the malevolent aim of inciting violence.

A 28-year-old man lost his life after being repeatedly stabbed amid violent clashes between supporters of the AEK Athens and Dinamo Zagreb soccer clubs ahead of a scheduled match at the OPAP Arena on Monday.

PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis said that the leaked internal documents disclosing foreknowledge of the Croatian hooligans’ movements represent “a substantial blow.” He criticized the decision, as outlined in the leaked documents, to merely “discreetly monitor” these fans.

Androulakis expressed his profound dismay over the fact that, despite a UEFA ban on fan movement, the Croatian hooligans were able to undertake their journey to the Greek capital via a motorcade, before boarding the ISAP electric railway and eventually disembarking at a station close to the Nea Filadelfia neighborhood. “Armed with bats and knives, they proceeded to the AEK stadium,” he said.

Emphasizing that the incident exemplified the glaring ineffectiveness of the conservative “executive state,” Androulakis added that the decision to relieve seven police officers of their duties after the violent episode, “could not absolve the substantial political responsibilities of… Oikonomou for the operational failure and the international embarrassment endured by the nation.”