Ivan Savvidis, the president of Greek club PAOK on
Tuesday apologized after invading the pitch with a gun in his
waistband, an incident that prompted the suspension of the championship
indefinitely.
“I am very sorry over what happened. I clearly had no right to enter
the field of play in this fashion,” Ivan Savvidis said in a statement.
"I'd like to apologize to the fans of PAOK, to all Greek fans and to
the international football community," he added. "Believe me, I had no
plans to quarrel with the referee or the opponents, and I clearly did
not threaten anyone."
Savvidis, a Greek-Russian billionaire who is both the president and
owner of PAOK lost his cool and stormed the pitch with a Gun in his
waistband to confront the referee after Fernando Varela late goal for PAOK was ruled as offside during Sunday's Super League game against rival club AEK Athens.
The chairman who reportedly told the referee: 'You're finished.' was held back by securities.
Meanwhile, the incident has been condemned by both football's
European governing body, UEFA, and the world governing body, FIFA, which
issued a statement threatening to impose sanctions if all sides fail to
take "immediate steps" to end the "unacceptable situation in Greek
football."
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