Greece, UEFA sign accord to bring about reform

Greece and European soccer's governing body signed an accord on Tuesday offering reform assistance for Greek football, which has been plagued by crowd and funding problems in recent years.

The agreement, signed by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, established a roadmap in which the ruling body will come up with specific proposals for improving Greek soccer within three months.

“I hope Greece becomes again one of the top countries, like in 2004 when it won the Euro (European Championship),” Ceferin told Mitsotakis, adding that he was glad Athens had initiated the move.

Greek soccer has been in turmoil for decades, beset by financial woes amplified by the country's debt crisis, and frequent crowd trouble.

It is also politically sensitive. Parliament last month rushed through legislation easing the threat of sanctions on soccer clubs whose owners had stakes in more than one team. [Reuters]