A young Greek soccer player has been banned from the national team for life after making a Nazi salute during a league game.

The 20-year-old former captain of Greece's under-19 side, Giorgos Katidis, made the gesture as he celebrated his winning goal in AEK Athens's 2-1 Super League victory over lowly Veria on Saturday.

The midfielder apologised and asked to be dropped from AEK's first team.

"I would like to confess that I am totally unacceptable and I feel terrible for those I upset with the stupidity of my act," Katidis said in a statement.

Greece's soccer federation said the gesture was severely provocative, but the player said he did not know the gesture was a Nazi salute and said he was merely pointing.

The federation unanimously decided the sanction after an extraordinary general meeting on Sunday.

"The action by the player to salute spectators with a Nazi salute defies common sense, profoundly shows disrespect to all the victims of Nazi atrocities and injures the peaceful and deeply human character of football," the federation said in an announcement.

"The Greek Football Federation condemns unequivocally and categorically such actions."

The federation said it would take all appropriate steps "to preserve the peaceful nature of football and to promote the values of solidarity, cooperation and respect that it professes."

AEK have asked the player to appear before the club's administration on Wednesday to explain his actions, while on the same day Super League officials will meet to discuss the case.

Greek media on Sunday reported that Katidis was given time off by AEK in order to visit his wife in Italy and that his future with the Athens club was in doubt.

Last August, Katidis signed a four-year contract with AEK.

After the match he wrote on his Twitter site: "I am not a fascist and I would not have done it if I had known what it means. I know the consequences and I would never have done it."

AEK's German coach, Ewald Lienen, defended his player, whom he claimed was ignorant to the salute's significance.

"He is a young kid who does not have any political ideas. He most likely saw such a salute on the internet or somewhere else and did it, without knowing what it means," he said.

"I am 100 per cent sure that Giorgos did not know what he did. He was crying in the dressing room seeing how the media reacted. He is young and needs protection."

In his statement, Katidis reiterated that he was not a fascist.

"I have a step brother from Puerto Rico and all my family are from the Black Sea and have experienced racism in the worst ways," he said.

"I made the mistake so I will be the one to pay for it, AEK is not responsible. So that is why I have decided to put myself out of the team because I have now realised how much I have offended the history of the club.

"Also, I understand fully the reasons for the decision made by the Greek Football Federation to which I owe a huge apology as it has helped me to get where I am in the professional game."

Racial tensions have been heightened in Greece in recent years with the emergence of the extreme right-wing Golden Dawn political movement.

The party won 7 per cent of the vote at last year's election, enough to win 21 seats in parliament.

ABC/wires