Giorgos Lyggeridis

Criminal charges have reportedly been filed against the president and four other officials of Olympiacos FC by judicial authorities handling a major case involving 167 defendants linked to a criminal organization within football.

The first two months of tight measures to combat sports-related violence are beginning to pay off, according to statistics compiled by the Hellenic Police (ELAS).

Indicatively, violence, the use of smoke bombs, flares and firecrackers in soccer stadiums has been reduced significantly compared to autumn 2023, with such incidents spilling over in some cases in smaller categories.

In what was a difficult day for Greece, 31-year-old riot police officer, Giorgos Lyggeridis, who died on Wednesday after being injured outside a volleyball arena by a flare fired by a hooligan on December 7, and 40-year-old pilot Epaminondas Kosteas, whose T-2 aircraft crashed this week, were laid to rest on Friday.

The funeral service for 31-year-old riot police officer Giorgos Lyggeridis, who lost his life after being injured by a naval flare fired by an Olympiakos hooligan outside a volleyball arena on December 7, took place in Thessaloniki, northern Greece, on Friday.