AEK match cancelled due to a short goal frame
Another eventful weekend in the Greek Super League saw AEK’s game getting cancelled due to a goalpost irregularity and Panathinaikos return to victories and the top of the table, as AEK has a game in hand.
In an unprecedented incident in Greek soccer, the game between Atromitos and AEK on Sunday did not take place because AEK submitted before kickoff a formal objection about the height of the crossbar in one of the two goal frames at Peristeri.
The referee duly measured the height of the goal posts and found one of the two frames to be between five and seven centimeters below regulation. He gave the hosts 30 minutes to fix it, they started digging to create a trench along the goal line, but even after that the distance of the crossbar from the trench was two centimeters short of the necessary 244 centimeters. The other goal frame was perfect.
This meant that the game got abandoned and is expected to be awarded to AEK with a 3-0 score, without the Yellows kicking a ball – their curiously spot-on information will probably suffice to get them all three points.
In the mean time, though, Panathinaikos enjoyed its temporary return to the top of the table through its 2-0 win over 10-man Lamia at home on Sunday.
The Greens had new signing Laszlo Kleinheisler and its top scorer Andraj Sporar on the scoresheet, for only their third win in their last eight games.
The weekend’s big game, though, was that at Toumba, on Sunday night, with PAOK sharing a goalless draw with Olympiakos. The match had plenty of action but no goals.
Ionikos scored a second win in a row, beating visiting Aris 1-0 on Saturday with a Maxi Lovera penalty kick, to force the departure of Aris manager Alan Pardew.
Panathinaikos is on 48 points, AEK has 47 with a game in hand, PAOK and Olympiakos are tied on 43, and Aris is a distant fifth with 31.
There were two more scoreless draws over the weekend, in the Panetolikos vs Asteras Tripolis, and OFI vs PAS Giannina matches.
On Monday, weather permitting, Levadiakos will face Volos.
