"My relationship with the sports world was not so close, I was just watching the games as a fan. Still, there were serious riots in many football stadiums and we managed to confront them. We knew the situation when we came in charge, especially in professional football, which is being watched by the great majority of the Greek society.
The situation towards the Hellenic Federations is awful, corruption, injustice and filth are causing violence and destroying football. Everybody love that sport and wants it to be clean, with officials trying to serve only this and not their own suspicious interests.
I think that with our first steps and especially the new Sports Law there is a high hope that Greek football will be cleaned again. We are ready to use the laws, something we are doing since the day we came in charge, in order to solve the important problems. We are ready to fight against the corrupted officials of football and the hardcore hooligans who are destroying the lives of young people.
The current system of the Hellenic Football Federation secures unbelievable profit for their employees, there are officials earning 9.500 euros every month and their relatives another 4.000 euros. This is unbelievable, it is challenging our society during financial crisis. Those officials of the HFF, many of which are involved in the case of criminal organization, are insulting the Greek fans with their behavior.
I would like to ask them, which is their project since 2004 until today? What have they offered to Greek football? Where are all the money the State gave to you all those years? They should know that we will be against them and unfortunately for them, the international associations have finally understood what's happening in the Hellenic Football Federation and are ready to support us.
I can honestly understand the clubs' presidents when they are trying to protect their investment and are complaining, but it is their fault. I can't understand why they are trying to control the HFF and the refereeing. To do that, they are creating armies of hooligans, even financing them and then refuse to take the responsibility for their actions. But we won't stop and keep fighting until the final end of violence.
The corruption and no respect of the laws are the trademarks of the current Hellenic Football Federation's associations. It is not only my opinion, the whole world knows that. It is embarrassing to refuse accepting the regular judges, that means that they are protecting certain interests. It is not only president Girtzikis' problem, that HFF's administration is corrupted in total and only trying to serve certain financial interests.
I wish to accept the new Ethics Code until Friday, otherwise FIFA will appoint a temporary administrative committee and the circle of injustice will be terminated either way. Thank God, FIFA and UEFA realized our effort to fight against the corruption in Greek football and for the first time in history, after our recent meetings with good intentions, the international associations are supporting the government this way.
It is not our job to punish any officials or teams, FIFA has the right to do that. I personally asked the international associations to handle the case and our effort is to make the Hellenic Football Federation start working with honesty and dignity. We will express our opinion if necessary, but nothing more. Of course, the case of players on loan between Super League clubs is included in our new Sports Law.
The decision against Panathinaikos was not something personal, terrible things happened at Leoforos Stadium and the derby clash against Olympiakos did not even start. Their administration took legal action against us and of course did not win the case. If the officials and the supporters of Panathinaikos really want the end of injustice in Greek football and refereeing, they have to support the effort of the State.
Remember the Greek Cup's final, what happened even if the match was hosted behind closed doors. Riots in football stadiums have to be finally stopped and to do that we have to end corruption in Greek football, so there is still a lot of work ahead of us. If we have justice and lucidity, the Greek fans will understand that something has changed in football and will even accept the human mistakes of referees.
The violent behaviors will be dramatically reduced, health will return to the stands. The fans will finally start enjoying the game, knowing that the possible referee mistakes are not only against his team, and this will happen with the end of corruption in the Hellenic Football Federation. We will not make even one step back and this fight, no matter against who we will have to fight", said Stavros Kontonis at his interview.
