Some say the legendary exploits of Alexander the Great are needed to cure Greek football of its violence and disorder. Others are hoping for a Herculean effort to fix the problem.
Short of that, however, Greek football remains mired in chaos.
The latest trouble occurred over the weekend, when the owner of PAOK Thessaloniki ran onto the field with a holstered gun on his belt to confront the referee and complain about a disallowed goal.
Ivan Savvidis, the Russian-Greek businessman who owns PAOK, didn't use the gun on Sunday, but his actions led to yet another league suspension and prompted Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to evoke a famous legend about the conquests of Alexander the Great.
PAOK owner, businessman Ivan Savvidis invades into the pitch during a Greek League football match between PAOK and AEK Athens in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, Sunday, March 11, 2018. Savvidis came on the field twice and was accompanied by bodyguards. On the second occasion, without the overcoat he was wearing before, Savvidis appeared to be carrying a pistol which was in its holder. Savvidis made no move to use the weapon at any time. (InTime Sports via AP)
"At some point, we have to decide to cut the Gordian Knot, take collective action, and ignore the political consequences," Tsipras said, referring to a simple solution for an intractable problem.
In the meantime, the government decided to indefinitely stop league matches following Sunday's turmoil. In the potential title decider between PAOK and AEK Athens, a late goal was disallowed, leading to the uproar involving Savvidis and his foray onto the field in anger.
Savvidis apologized Tuesday for his "emotional" reaction, while a Thessaloniki prosecutor ordered a judicial investigation into the incident. The probe will also examine why police allegedly ignored instructions from a prosecutor on duty at the match to arrest Savvidis on the spot.
FIFA strongly condemned the violence and sent a delegation to Athens for talks as the country faced the threat of suspension from international competition.
In this photo taken on Sunday, March 11, 2018, PAOK owner, businessman Ivan Savvidis, center, escorted by his bodyguards leaves the pitch during a Greek League football match between PAOK and AEK Athens in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki. A disputed goal at the end of the Greek league match led to a pitch invasion by Savvidis, who appeared to be carrying a gun. (AP Photo)
The league suspension is the latest attempt by a government to rein in Greek football's powerful bosses, who have far-reaching interests in infrastructure, shipping, gambling, and the news media, and who operate against a backdrop of habitual fan violence and allegations of corruption riddled through the sport.
This week's suspension was ordered 10 days after a court convicted 58 club officials, managers, players and others for up to 10 years in prison for a match-fixing scandal — including former officials from the league and the Greek football association.
Most of the sentences were suspended.
Tsipras' 3-year-old left-wing government has twice before weighed in with violence-related suspensions, briefly stopping the league and cup competitions. And each high-profile outbreak of violence has rekindled plans for tougher surveillance, smart ticketing, and imposing tougher limits on traveling fans, as well as seeking assistance from abroad to monitor referees and match organization.
PAOK owner, businessman Ivan Savvidis invades into the pitch during the Greek League football match between PAOK and AEK Athens in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, Sunday, March 11, 2018. Savvidis invaded the pitch twice. The second time, without the overcoat he was wearing before, a pistol was clearly visible in its holder. AEK officials claim Savvidis threatened the referee during his first foray into the pitch, before being pulled away by his retinue. (InTime Sports via AP)
But fans and club bosses have continued to make the action look weak. Last month, supporters from a pair of rival Athens clubs chose a volleyball match for their most recent confrontation. Clashes spilled onto a street in a central neighborhood, and youths hurled gasoline bombs and flares.
Tension this season has been fuelled by the football league's unpredictable outcome following a weak start by Olympiakos, which has lost the championship only twice in the past 21 years. The challenge is being led by AEK Athens, which has returned to the top league from bankruptcy, and northern club PAOK, which hasn't won since 1985 but whose fans are famously loyal and hot-headed.
Dimitrios Malisiovas, a veteran sports commentator for public radio, said there is a general feeling of disappointment and sadness that the effort to clean up Greek football doesn't appear to be working.
In this Sunday, March 11, 2018 photo, PAOK owner, businessman Ivan Savvidis, second right, approaches AEK Athens' Manager Operation Department Vassilis Dimitriadis, second left, as his bodyguard and PAOK's player Fernando Varela from Portugal, center, try to stop him during the Greek League football match between PAOK and AEK Athens in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki. A disputed goal at the end of the Greek league match led to a pitch invasion by Savvidis, who appeared to be carrying a gun. (AP Photo)
"Since professional football started in 1979, the problem has always been there. Violence and corruption," Malisiovas said. "It's a bit like the Greek national debt: Too hard to pay down. Or like Hercules in ancient mythology trying to cut the head off the monster, only to see another appear. But that's what we need to fix this problem, another Hercules. Someone who is fearless and determined."
FIFA sending delegation to discuss Greek football crisis
FIFA will send a delegation to Greece on Tuesday to discuss the country's football crisis, a day after its top league was suspended.
In a letter to the Greek government, FIFA Europe director Bjorn Vassallo said the delegation was due to arrive in Athens later Tuesday to hold talks that included meetings with the Greek football federation.
"FIFA demands an uncompromising and robust approach in exterminating all forms of violence in football," Vassallo wrote.
On Monday, the government ordered the suspension of the Greek league after the owner of PAOK Thessaloniki stormed onto the field with a gun holstered to his belt to protest a disallowed goal in a match against AEK Athens.
In this Sunday, March 11, 2018 photo, PAOK owner, businessman Ivan Savvidis, center, walks on the pitch escorted by his bodyguards during a Greek League football match between PAOK and AEK Athens in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, Sunday, March 11, 2018. A disputed goal at the end of the Greek league match led to a pitch invasion by Savvidis, who appeared to be carrying a gun. (AP Photo)
A public prosecutor ordered a judicial investigation into the incident. The probe by prosecutors in Thessaloniki will also investigate why police allegedly ignored instructions by a prosecutor to arrest PAOK owner Ivan Savvidis on the spot.
FIFA has already warned Greek sporting authorities that failure to implement swift reforms could lead to the country's suspension from international competition.
Savvidis' behavior also provoked PAOK's suspension Tuesday from the 230-member group of Europe's most influential clubs. The European Club Association said its board voted unanimously to suspend PAOK until a March 27 members' assembly in Rome.
Still evading arrest, Savvidis apologized Tuesday for what he called an "emotional reaction" to the referee's decision and "the general negative condition in Greek football."
In a statement on the club's website, he said his only intention had been "to protect tens of thousands of PAOK fans from provocations and clashes (with) victims."