Greece will reopen its stadiums to fans on February 13, after a nearly two-month veto following the death of a policeman, but will impose a number of security measures to combat violence, including a new system of personal identity.
The new Permanent Commission to Fight Violence will impose severe penalties, including the closure of stadiums, for the smallest act of violence in any top-flight sport.
Automatic shutdown if an object is thrown
“If a firecracker, flare or any dangerous object is thrown into the stadium, without a second thought, the stadium will close next Sunday, when the home team is playing,” he declared. Giannis Vroutsis, Deputy Minister of Sports.
Starting March 6 All stadiums are required to have a security camera system high resolution and clubs that don’t install them won’t be able to play to an audience.
Mobile phone related entries
And from April 9 it will be introduced a new system of personal identificationusing technology to link each entry to a mobile phone.
These measures were introduced after radical Olympiacos fans seriously injured a policeman during a volleyball derby with Panathinaikos on December 7 by throwing a flare at him.
The officer died in late December after having his leg amputated and spent nearly three weeks in the ICU.
Two months without public
The government immediately announced the closure of all football stadiums of first division clubs for two months.
Greece suffers from a serious problem of violence in sports which has not been curbed despite increased prison sentences and other recent measures adopted by the Government.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
