FIFA monitoring committee recommends soccer Grexit
The head of FIFA’s committee monitoring Greek soccer is formally proposing to the international federation the suspension of the local game from the international set-up, practically giving the Hellenic Football Federation (EPO) a period of a few weeks to enforce the measures FIFA has recommended, or else face the so-called soccer Grexit.
In a document that Herbert Huebel, the monitoring committee chief, has sent to FIFA as well as to the members of the EPO governing board, there is a clear recommendation to the international federation for an indefinite suspension of Greek soccer – without any asterisks on a specific period, or on the national team etc.
Huebel was far from convinced by the excuses that EPO President Vangelis Grammenos offered at their meeting in Austria a few days ago regarding the delays to the issue of disciplinary committee decisions on the various matches affected by riots and pitch invasions, and EPO’s apparent reluctance to enforce the necessary measures for the Greek game to clean up its act.
In his document Huebel makes specific references to PAOK owner Ivan Savvidis invading the Toumba pitch with a gun in his hip holster, the league and cup freezing, the suspension of PAOK from the European Club Association, the delays to the issue of disciplinary decisions and the non-implementation of the monitoring committee’s recommendations to EPO.
“Taking all this into account, the Monitoring Committee is calling on the Member Associations Committee of FIFA to analyze without delay the current situation in the Hellenic Football Federation and to forward the case to the FIFA Council for discussion. The Monitoring Committee unequivocally recommends the immediate suspension of membership of the Hellenic Football Federation from FIFA,” the document reads, as translated from Greek.
Therefore EPO has until late May or June, when the FIFA Members Associations Committee convenes, to comply with requirements or, as Huebel is said to have asked Grammenos, to finally start managing Greek soccer.
