MAJOR question marks have been raised over Australia’s two games with Greece in June, after FIFA threatened to ban all Greek teams over alleged government interference.

The Greek sports minister has been given 10 days by FIFA to overturn his decision to cancel the Greek Cup last month, after crowd trouble at the semi-final between PAOK and league champion Olympiakos, or all of Greece’s national teams, clubs and referees will be barred from all international competitions.

The Socceroos are due to face Greece in Sydney on June 4 and Melbourne three days later, games that Football Federation Australia hopes will be hugely lucrative. Though the FFA has been assured by its Greek counterparts that the games will go ahead, urgent attempts are being made to clarify whether the ban would stop the Greek squad from travelling here if implemented.

FIFA will not accept what it perceives as government interference in the running of football, and has suspended Indonesia’s teams since last May as a result. The Indonesian national team has not played since.

Following the break down of talks between Greek Sports Minister Stavros Kontonis and a FIFA delegation, the world governing body issued a threat to take direct action if the Cup is not reinstated within the 10-day deadline.

At the game, in which Socceroo Terry Antonis played, PAOK fans threw flares and clashed with riot police, forcing the match’s abandonment.

In response Kontonis cancelled the whole tournament and has refused to back down despite being accused of a “disproportionate ... interference in the internal affairs” of the Greek FA by FIFA.

All internationals have to be sanctioned by FIFA, and if Greece was blocked from playing the Socceroos then Australian football authorities would be left scrambling to find an alternative opponent at short notice - with little prospect of securing one with similar box-office cache as Greece.

Though the Greek side failed to qualify for the Euros, the extensive Greek communities in Sydney and Melbourne had sparked hopes of bumper crowds at both games.

“The Hellenic FA has advised FFA that it does not expect the current situation to affect the international matches between Australia and Greece in June,” said an FFA spokesperson.

“We have been briefed on the discussions between the Hellenic FA and the Greek Government, and we are aware of the role being played by the joint FIFA/UEFA mission. We understand that there is a new deadline set for later this month to find a resolution. In the interim, FFA continues with its planning for the matches in Sydney and Melbourne.”