The Greek Football Association yesterday said it will suspend operations indefinitely in an attempt to trigger a reform of the country's violence-plagued domestic leagues.

FA chief Sofoklis Pilavios called for a vote by the body's executive, which was carried by a margin of 49-7, arguing that he wanted to take the game out of the "hands of hooligans, violence, and match-fixers."

The suspension will start on Monday, after Greece's 2012 European Championship qualifier at home to Malta today.

The move is being made during the domestic off-season, which usually lasts until late August, while Greece's next competitive international is not until 2 September, a Euro 2012 qualifier in Israel.

The FA said that a scheduled friendly match between Greece and Ecuador would go ahead at New York's Citi Field baseball stadium on 7 June.

"Operations of the Greek FA will be suspended indefinitely starting from 6 June, pending the completion of talks with the government, political parties and league organizers," an FA statement said.

Greek football has been marred by repeated outbreaks of fan violence this season, along with allegations of corruption.

Pilavios said the FA was forced to take drastic action to try and reform Greek football.

"We are facing a very major problem of violence," Pilavios said. "We have a choice to make: Do we want football in the hands of hooligans, violence, and match-fixers, forgers, and liars? A game with deals made under the table, exploited by politicians, a game of violence and threats? Or do we want a game based on strong institutions and rules and strong moral grounding?"

Organizers of the Greek top-flight Superleague issued a statement supporting the Greek FA decision.