OFFICIAL: Greek Cup final to be played without fans



The 2018/2019 Greek Cup final between AEK and PAOK will take place without fans, with Deputy Greek Minister for Culture and Sport Giorgos Vasiliadis confirming the news on Monday morning.

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On May 11, AEK and PAOK will do battle for the Greek Cup at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, with the two clubs facing each other in the final in the third consecutive campaign. In the past two seasons, fans of both teams were allowed to attend, but that won’t be the case this year.

Deputy Greek Minister of Culture and Sport, Giorgos Vasiliadis, confirmed that tickets will not be issued for the Greek Cup final on Saturday. The two clubs will instead be allowed to hand out invitations to a limited amount of people, a system which was previously used for the 2015/2016 Greek Cup final between AEK and Olympiacos.

This following statement was released:

“Deputy Minister of Culture and Sport Giorgos Vasiliadis, after receiving a recommendation from the Standing Committee on Violence and consulting with the Hellenic Football Federation Board of Directors, AEK FC and PAOK FC, has taken the decision not to issue tickets for the Greek Cup final which is scheduled for Saturday, May 11 at the OAKA.

With the consent of the Standing Committee on Violence, a small number of invitations will be dished out among the two clubs and the Hellenic Football Federation.”

The reason behind the decision is the violence witnessed in the 2017 and 2018 Greek Cup finals. In 2017, kick-off was initially delayed after disgraceful scenes between AEK and PAOK supporters in Volos, before relatively low-key clashes were seen in last year’s final at the OAKA. Vasiliadis isn’t willing to take the risk of any more trouble occurring, especially with possibility of FIFA and UEFA expelling the EPO from its respective organisations.

Vasiliadis commented on the verdict: “In the last two seasons, we have witnessed disgraceful scenes. The fact these two teams continue meeting in this competition has increased tensions. We saw this in Volos and at the OAKA. Our priority is to protect the safety of spectators. There is an unimaginable hatred shared by these two sets of fans. Yes, the clubs may want to have their fans inside the arena, but they are unable to control who receives tickets. In the past, police have prevented deaths from happening at the last minute. We cannot allow this situation to repeat itself.”

“Each club will be issued a maximum of 1,000 invitations,” continued Vasiliadis.

The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system is planned to be in place for the match.

In the 2016/2017 Greek Cup final, PAOK defeated AEK 2:1 in Volos, before the Dikefalos tou Vorra then beat the Athenians 2:0 in the 2017/2018 showpiece game. PAOK are hoping to achieve the Greek Double after winning the Super League.