Greek football scandal

Everyone knew that he was going to speak about all the problems. Besides, everybody knows that it was Olympiacos that initiated this debate and brought to the fore all the forms of corruption and immorality associated with Greek Football.

The Christmas spirit does not appear to have reached Greek soccer, as the Super League has got suspended after the protest by the referees against Olympiakos' attack on the officials of the match against Volos and the assault at the home of one of them on Sunday.

A political firestorm erupted on Thursday after shipping magnate Evangelos Marinakis claimed in an interview that Premier Alexis Tsipras and Digital Policy Minister Nikos Pappas asked him to finance businessman Yiannis Kalogritsas during the auctions for TV broadcasting licenses in 2016, as a favor.

Olympiakos owner and president Vangelis Marinakis will have to relinquish control of the Piraeus club - as will the owners of Atromitos and Levadiakos - within 15 days from the publication on Wednesday of the irrevocable decision of the Athens Council of Appeals Court Judges sending these three officials, the former head of the Hellenic Football Federation (EPO) Giorgos Sarris and 24 other peop

Greek shipping magnate and owner of Olympiakos soccer club Evangelos Marinakis has bought English team Nottingham Forest, the Championship club said on Thursday.

The takeover was approved by the English Football League despite the fact that Marinakis faces match-fixing accusations in Greece and charges that he is involved in a criminal organization.

A total of 84 people sat in the dock on Monday for a criminal trial relating to soccer match-fixing between 2009 and 2011.

Those facing trial include soccer club officials, players and referees.

A prosecutor has recommended that the boss of Olympiakos soccer club, Vangelis Marinakis, should stand trial for four felonies linked to an alleged "criminal gang" involved in match-fixing in the Greek league.

By Graham Wood

Vangelis Marinakis, owner of Greek champions Olympiakos Piraeus, has been banned from soccer as an investigation continues into allegations that a criminal organisation is controlling the domestic game.

According to judicial sources, the shipping magnate has also been ordered to report to police every 15 days on strict bail terms.

Olympiakos chairman Vangelis Marinakis has been given until the beginning of June before he is questioned by anti-corruption magistrate Giorgos Andreadis, court source have told Kathimerini.

Marinakis is one of 16 people alleged to have cooperated to fix the outcome of Greek soccer matches. He denies the charges.

By George Georgakopoulos

The Super League clubs agreed on Monday to a blueprint of proposals for combatting violence in soccer grounds and will present it to Deputy Minister Stavros Kontonis to ask for the top flight to return to action this weekend after a one-week suspension.