"Your presidents should stop talking about the referees and spend money to make transfers and create strong teams". It's the most well-known slogan lately, spreading from mouth to mouth. Like a virus of our time.
So, now that they spent money for transfers, can they demand leaving 10-90% against and face a... 30-70% each Sunday? The question of course is rhetorical. Of course they can not. Nor require anything nor hope for anything. Only for October to come and Hellenic Football Federation's current fascist system to fall.
Until then, of course, referees like Dimitropoulos will be appointed and you should be pleased with only 5-6 free kicks outside the area, two or three mistaken cards, two offsides. Because the problem is certainly not Dimitropoulos. The referees come and go. They are simply names, pins on the map who have a job to do. They do it, they leave, the next are coming. Kyzas, Labropoulos and the others. People who are playing their profession in dice. If they serve the system, they continue, if not, they disappear.
All these under the complete tolerance of the government, which see them, recognize them officially now, but not have the courage to go against the "sharks", fasten judicial decision, join all the Greeks who love the sport in what they are asking for: Justice. Only with words and announcements, because these are allowed by the legal framework? They can change it. But now. However, it looks comical of the government requesting resignations because of their "moral values"! You can't ask people who have been accused with felonies. Demand and enforce, if you are really the government.
Deputy Minister Kontonis called Girtzikis two weeks ago to emphasize that he will not tolerate any more referees who are ignoring what is happening on the field, and two days later the president of HFF called only referee Styliaras to make recommendations, because he was appointed at Panathinaikos' game. A few days later, Girtzikis asked for the prosecution of Melissanidis, because he said at a night club that referee Delfakis can only use his whistle in trains and the story ended with the provocative choice of ignoring all international referees for Olympiakos-PAOK match, in order to be appointed and rewarded a person accused of being part of the criminal organization. Why is the Deputy Minister complaining? Within two weeks, the president of HFF, the most important person in football, stroke against all of them who are fighting against corruption.
Among all these, to return to the original subject, Alafouzos spent 3.5 million euros in January and another 8 in the future (if the players bought remain until the end of their contracts) to do what? I wonder. Savvidis paid one million to Panionios and PAS Giannina to buy two Greek players. Why they did such things? Obviously because they are "injected" with football and their teams. Like almost everyone who entered into this sport. Football is like opium. The more you are watching and getting into a team's inside, the more addicted you get. And you are trying to correct mistakes, to make better choices, to guarantee a better tomorrow, to satisfy your fans.
Panathinaikos and PAOK paid heavily for their choices and in January, especially the Greens, tried an almost complete reconstruction, in order to correct the mistakes of the summer. How many mistakes did they? A lot! For this, it's fair that they are now only fighting for the second place.
But no matter how many corrections they will make, if our football remains in its current state, they are just hoping for an empty shirt. Because no matter how wise will their choices be, the first rule of success in Greece, with government's full support, is reading the first sentence of this article backwards: "Your presidents should stop talking about transfers and spend money to create a criminal organization".
P.S.: The response to Kontonis proves that the organization is not only ruthless, but also acts with unprecedented grit, pointing the finger to all those who dare to judge its criminal action. Perhaps the Deputy Minister will understand now that with advices and begging, not even the defendants of cinema were ever surrendered..
