Georgios Samaras

Is a strong friendship between two former soccer players enough to make one of them heed the other's call and travel to work together on the other side of the world?

The Greek soccer federation on Friday insisted that international defender Jose Holebas had been dropped from team training in Austria because of injury and not for any other reason.

Media reports out of Italy said that the 30-year-old player had trained normally with his Roma squad after departing from Austria on Tuesday.

A 10-year-old Irish fan of Greek striker Georgios Samaras was in Athens on Monday at the invitation of the Greek Sports Journalists' Association, which honored outstanding achievements in sports in a gala in Athens.

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras on Friday appointed Nikos Dendias as defense minister, replacing outgoing Dimitris Avramopoulos, who assumes the European Commission’s immigration portfolio next week, with Costas Skrekas to take over Dendias’s spot at the helm of the Development Ministry.

Greece coach Claudio Ranieri has dropped striker Georgios Samaras from the national team after a dismal start to European Championship qualifying.

Samaras, who plays for West Bromwich Albion, is one of Greeces best-known players following his six-year spell at Celtic and after helping the national team reach the second round at the World Cup in Brazil.

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras is to make an official visit to Cyprus on November 7, it has been announced.

According to Cypriot government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides, the meeting is taking place as part of preparations for a trilateral summit between the leaders of Greece, Cyprus and Egypt.

Greece is ready to stand on its own feet, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said on Tuesday after a meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, where he set out how Athens could exit its adjustment program at the end of the year, forgoing the remaining loans from the International Monetary Fund.

Greece’s Deputy Health Minister Katerina Papacosta has written to 11-year-old Jay Beatty from Northern Ireland, an ardent fan of Greek soccer player Giorgos Samaras (pictured with Jay), to thank him for raising awareness about Down Syndrome in Greece.

By George Georgakopoulos

The protagonists of Greece’s national soccer team could not hide their disappointment from the way the Blue-and-whites bowed out of the World Cup, losing to Costa Rica in the penalty shootout, but stressed the success this team has achieved by reaching the knock-out stages of the competition for the first time.

By Toby Davis

RECIFE, Brazil - Greece coach Fernando Santos has challenged his team to "rewrite history" when they face Costa Rica in the World Cup's round of 16 on Sunday, but it is a lesson from his side's own past that is making him extra wary.