L. Avgenakis: Legislative intervention for drastic changes in the way the EPO is administered

Lefteris Avgenakis referred to the issue of fan violence and what was decided at today’s morning meeting under the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, with the participation of all co-competent ministers, in the Plenary Session of the Parliament.

The Undersecretary of Culture and Sports began by congratulating the Greek Police officials and the political leadership for locating and arresting 9 of the 11 suspects in the brutal murder of 19-year-old Alkis in Thessaloniki, which shocked the entire Greek society.

Mr. Avgenakis linked the phenomena of fan violence with “the culture and the spirit of administration in the EPO” and announced a legislative intervention in the forthcoming sports bill, aiming at “the most representative representation in the Federation of all our bodies and structures, as provided by football.” in the Holistic Study of FIFA / UEFA, but also the establishment of professional refereeing.

Among other things, Mr. Avgenakis mentioned:

“The interventions that have been made in the last two years by the Ministry of Sports have contributed and continue to contribute to the confrontation and fight against fan violence. I remind you that with the laws of the Ministry of Sports we have established, among other things:

* The ability to collect, process and utilize, in the context of criminal proceedings, the material and data recorded by any technical means, which is handled by an officer of the Greek Police. Thus, any criminal act, committed inside and outside sports facilities, will be able to be calibrated, controlled and punished.

* The extension of local and time limits for the application of criminal provisions for acts of sporting violence that are purely fan-motivated and take place in a time and place unrelated to a sporting event (eg, “dating” fans, attacks on associations, etc. .).

* The possibility in EL.AS. to carry out random checks on ticket holders upon their arrival at the sports facilities.

* The reinstatement of the “personal name”, that is, the ban on the suspension and conversion of custodial sentences imposed by criminal courts for crimes related to sporting violence. And when, 15 years ago, the “nickname” was first introduced in sports, before it was unfortunately suspended, the incidence of violence in the professional league had decreased by 80%, while ticket sales had increased significantly.

* The modernization of the framework for the organized movements of the fans, where the teams now have the supervision and the control of the movements of their Fan Clubs, so that there is security and a clear system of responsibility in case of incidents.

* The possibility of creating a Panhellenic Federation of Fan Clubs, with the aim of contributing to the development and cultivation of a culture of cooperation and understanding between fans of different teams, to give the right to speak to the healthy portion of the “fan movement” and to represent their central contacts with institutions.

We also had law 4855/2021 of the Ministry of Justice, which concerned the amendment of the Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure, which tightened the penalties for violent offenses.

The firm will of our Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, is to continue the practical effort, without loud announcements, to lead to an even greater reduction of incidents of violence.

Following a relevant meeting held this morning under the Prime Minister with the participation of all relevant Ministries, it was decided to take immediate other initiatives at the following three levels, in close cooperation with the Ministry of Citizen Protection and Justice:

* Even greater tightening of the institutional framework for the operation of the Fan Clubs and their branches, as well as the role and the real responsibilities of the PAE in this issue

Necessary adaptations of the Penal Code and

* Intensification of controls by ELAS.

At the same time, there will be drastic changes in the way the Hellenic Football Federation is run, because fan violence is directly related to the culture and the spirit of management in the EPO. The FIFA / UEFA Holistic Study of Greek football clearly states the most representative representation in the Federation of all the bodies and structures of our football and this must be done. In addition, we will establish Professional Arbitration and strengthen the role and prospects of amateur sports. The legislative interventions will be included in the sports bill that will be submitted to the Parliament in the coming weeks.

And immediately afterwards we will proceed with the ratification of the Council of Europe Convention, known as the St. Denis Convention, for the integrated approach of security, protection and service issues in football matches and other sporting events, signed in 2016.

Tackling fan violence, but also youth violence in general, is our duty to society and especially to the younger generation, but also to the healthy sports community and the millions of the right fans in our country.

In the last 2.5 years, many important steps have been taken. The Government, led by the Prime Minister himself, will continue in this direction and we expect everyone to assist the Greek State in the effort to eliminate violence. “After all, this is an issue that unites us all.”

SOURCE: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ