Stadium

Greek authorities launched a ban on paper tickets for all league soccer matches on Tuesday as part of an effort to crack down on the violence that has plagued the sport for decades.

Under new rules, fans will only be allowed into stadiums using their cellphones and displaying a government-issued QR code so they can be identified and attendance bans can be enforced.

Sticking to the government's pledge, Deputy Sports Minister Giannis Vroutsis told Parliament on Monday that fans will return to soccer stadiums on February 13 after a ban imposed last December in response to a spate of sports-related violence. 

Soccer fans in Greece will have to use a state-run digital identification app on their cell phones to buy tickets for games after a security ban on supporters expires next month.

Deputy Sports Minister Giannis Voutsis introduced new measures to combat fan violence on Wednesday which include restricting each team to a single fan club, mandatory electronic security systems in Super League and Basket League stadiums, and €10,000-€100,000 fines for "low-level fan violence."

Empty stadiums for two months as a means to combat hooliganism will not change anything, according to seven out 10 people who participated in a survey by Prorata, against the backdrop of the measures announced by the government after the bloody incidents in Athens last week.

The measure will be valid until 24/02/2024 – CCTVs will be installed in stadiums

When two Spanish footballers took to the controls of "FIFA 20" after the coronavirus pandemic saw their La Liga match cancelled, a stadium-sized virtual audience watched online.

With an official announcement to the media, the Vitosha consortium, which includes Manchester Airports Group (MAG) and Beijing Construction Engineering Group (BCEG), wants to build a national stadium.

The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) announced that the word "arena" had been removed from the names of all stadiums in the country on May 27, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.

UEFA president Michel Platini on March 24 warned of a return to the "dark days" of hooliganism in Europe fired by a rise in nationalism and extremism.