PAOK Salonika: Gun incident sees Greek club’s president banned

Greece’s top-flight football championship was suspended Monday, a minister said, hours after the owner of the PAOK team came onto the pitch with a gun strapped to his belt. Greek television network Skai TV reported on Monday morning that an arrest warrant was issued against PAOK Thessaloniki owner Ivan Savvidis and four others following an investigation on Sunday night over Savvidis entering the pitch with a gun in a hip holster. However, the warrant only covers the invasion onto the pitch and not the fact that Savvidis was carrying a gun.

PAOK owner who stormed pitch with gun ordered to testify

PAOK players protested the decision which prompted the AEK players to walk off the pitch. The Greek Superleague match between PAOK FC and AEK Athens was abandoned Sunday after PAOK owner Ivan Savvidis stormed the pitch armed with a gun after the referee disallowed his team a goal.

Ivan Savvidis, accompanied by bodyguards, then proceeded to invaded the pitch twice. The first time wearing an overcoat which concealed his gun, the second time without his coat which revealed his gun in a hip holster. AEK officials claimed Savvidis threatened the referee before being pulled away and reportedly PAOK technical director Lubos Michel told the referee “your finished”.

• Sunday’s Greek Superleague match between PAOK Thessaloniki and AEK Athens was abandoned after PAOK’s Greek-Russian owner, Ivan Savvidis, walked onto the pitch armed with a gun in his hip holster.
• Greek police issued an arrest warrant Monday against PAOK Thessaloniki owner Ivan Savvidis for invading the pitch with a hand gun.
• GREECE’S football league has been suspended after PAOK’s owner Ivan Savvidis ran on the pitch with a gun in its holster to confront the referee against AEK Athens.
• However, referee Giorgos Kominos who at first appeared to allow the goal, then ruled it out for off-side.

This is surpising considering the police in Greece aren’t even allowed carry guns into football stadiums. Savvidis then demanded his players leave the pitch in protest over the referee’s decision to disallow the goal but PAOK captain, Vieirinha, refused to lead his players of the field instead insisting they stay on. The referee was unable to convince the AEK Athens players to return to the pitch to finish the game after they expressed concern for their safety.

PAOK Salonika’s owner, Ivan Savvidis, could be in trouble with the Greek authorities after storming on to the pitch with a gun during his side’s match against AEK Athens. Savvidis had to be held back after he tried to confront the referee over a late goal that was allowed and then disallowed by officials.

The problems started when defender Fernando Varela scored with a header in the 90th minute to put PAOK ahead 1 – 0. However, referee Giorgos Kominos who at first appeared to allow the goal, then ruled it out for off-side.

GREECE’S football league has been suspended after PAOK’s owner Ivan Savvidis ran on the pitch with a gun in its holster to confront the referee against AEK Athens. Greek police issued an arrest warrant Monday against PAOK Thessaloniki owner Ivan Savvidis for invading the pitch with a hand gun. Sunday’s Greek Superleague match between PAOK Thessaloniki and AEK Athens was abandoned after PAOK’s Greek-Russian owner, Ivan Savvidis, walked onto the pitch armed with a gun in his hip holster.

A disputed goal in the dying minutes of a Greek Superleague match between PAOK FC and AEK Athens led to two pitch invasions from the PAOK owner Ivan Savvidis, who appeared to be carrying a pistol in a holster in his waistband during the second. Greece’s sports minister says league play has been suspended indefinitely, a day after the gun-toting owner of PAOK Thessaloniki marched onto the soccer field following a disputed goal at the end of a league match. Greece indefinitely suspended its Superleague football fixtures on Monday after the owner of the club PAOK Salonika Olympiacos was filmed wearing a gun holster as he strode onto the pitch to protest about a disallowed goal. AEK complained that PAOK owner Ivan Savvidis came onto the pitch with a gun in his hip holster and threatened referee Giorgos Kominos, who was reportedly told “you are finished” by PAOK technical director Lubos Michel. The game between PAOK Salonika and league leaders AEK Athens was suspended on Sunday when, enraged by a disallowed goal against his team, PAOK chairman Ivan Savvidis entered the field of play to confront the referee while carrying a holstered pistol.