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The National (Scotland)

Sport

Matthew Lindsay

Olympiacos ultras leading Greek football's fight against pyro after flare fatality

Olympiacos Football Police Barry Ferguson Europe Greece John McGinn Scotland

NUMEROUS suggestions about how to snuff out the use of pyrotechnics in Scottish football have been put forward during the past couple of seasons as the problem has steadily escalated.

Introducing “safe pyro” sections inside grounds, forcing sides to play matches behind closed doors, hitting clubs with fines and even points deductions, launching awareness campaigns to warn of the dangers and issuing offenders with football banning orders have all been proposed.

Asking the ultras groups which follow most if not all of the teams in this country to spearhead the drive to eradicate flares, smoke bombs, strobes, flashbangs and rockets from the stands is not an avenue which has been seriously explored.

The members of Block Seven, Gorgie Ultras, The Green Brigade, the Red Army, the Union Bears and the like are, rightly or wrongly, perceived as being the cause of the issue, not a potential solution.

Yet, in Greece, whose supporters have long had a deserved reputation for being the most passionate, volatile and extreme in the world game, huge strides forward have been made in the battle against pyrotechnics in recent months by enlisting the help of the hardcore element of their major clubs’ fanbases.

“There has been a definite improvement in the pyrotechnic problem in Greek football this season,” said Stephen Kountourou, the host of the Hellas Football podcast. “There have been fewer cases of pyrotechnic use.

“The Olympiacos ultras come out on social media before every big game, whether it is in Europe or in the Greek Super League, and say, ‘No flares, no pyrotechnics, just atmosphere’.

“The Gate 7 ultras, who are named in honour of the 21 people who lost their lives in the Karaiskakis Stadium disaster in 1981, take it very, very seriously for sure. And their sentiments have very much been echoed throughout other Greek football supports. The problem is far from over, but it's starting to become less of an issue.”

The death of Greek police officer Giorgos Lyggeridis, who was killed after being struck by a marine flare which was thrown at him by a football hooligan outside of a volleyball match between Olympiacos and Panathinaikos in Athens in the December of 2023, prompted the government and football authorities to take radical action.

Police minister Giannis Economou promised there would be a “steadfast social alliance against violence” after Lyggeridis, who suffered severe arterial damage to his thigh and passed away as a result of his injuries three weeks later, and his colleagues were bombarded by flares and petrol bombs. He was true to his word.

A two month ban on supporters attending games was introduced. When the turnstiles were finally reopened to the public, several new safeguards designed to prevent more injuries and fatalities occurring were in place. They have made a huge difference.

(Image: Rob Newell - CameraSport) “The government brought in very, very strong measures after the death of the police officer last season,” said Manos Staramopoulos, a Greek football journalist with Discovery Plus.

“If anybody is found with a pyrotechnic at a match now they are automatically banned from football. The clubs also face having to play games behind closed doors if there are flares at their matches. It has worked, there is more respect not. Most fans have changed their opinion.”

Kountourou also believes they have had the desired impact. “Tougher laws were introduced by the government following the tragic death of the police officer and anyone found to have committed a pyrotechnic offence at a football match now faces a heavy punishment,” he said.

“There's also been a big push for IDs at football as well. You need to have a Greek ID number to buy a ticket to a match now. If you don’t have one, you can’t buy them. Obviously, there are ways around that. But it is one tactic they are using to stop repeat pyrotechnic offenders from attending games.

“There has been a huge improvement in the security camera systems inside stadiums. In the Premier League in England, clubs all have state-of-the-art security systems. If any fan says anything that's racist or discriminatory or throws anything, they can find them immediately and ban them. That is starting to happen more in Greece.

“In terms of the pyrotechnics specifically, there's definitely been an improvement. That has been obvious from watching Greek teams in Europe and in the big derby matches, where it used to be a huge problem. It has got better.

“At the moment, it's still too early to say if pyro will be eradicated from the Greek game altogether, but I really hope so. It's not just the police officer who tragically lost his life, fans have died too. We still remember those fans to this day.

“It's horrible that these events keep happening. They tarnish Greek football's name at a time when Greek football is on the up. Greek clubs are doing very well in Europe, our coefficient has improved, the national team is looking better.

“We're actually producing young, talented players who are sought after in Europe. We haven't had that for a while, certainly in my time supporting Greece and following the national team.

“We're finally starting to build a better reputation. Just this week it was announced the Greek Football Federation has finally purchased a training centre for the national team. That was promised after Greece won Euro 2004. I think the fans recognise there has to be change as well.”

The Lyggeridis tragedy occurred just two months after a Super League match had to be abandoned because Panathinaikos winger Juan “Juankar” Carlos had been struck by a firecracker which was thrown by an Olympiacos fan as he warmed up on the touchline.

(Image: Stefanos Kyriazis) “That was also one of the big catalysts for change,” said Kountourour. “Juankar had to be stretchered off and the game was postponed. The individual was arrested by the police. Panathinaikos were awarded a 3-0 win by the Greek Super League. The case went to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to decide if the sanctions were fair.

“There was talk of all professional sport in Greece being halted. That would have been hugely damaging, for football especially. It could have led to clubs being expelled from UEFA competitions. It would have set us back decades.

“It was a big wake-up call. The Hellenic Football Federation and the Greek Super League board have done their utmost to prevent anything like that happening again and the fans, even the ultras, have done their bit as well.”

Kountourou is pleased to report that the absence of flares, smoke bombs, strobes, flashbangs and rockets from Greek football stadiums this season has done nothing whatsoever to detract from the intensity of the matches.

“Greece has a reputation for having some of the most passionate fans in Europe, supporters who create of the best, loudest atmospheres,” he said.

“The Olympiacos ultras have done a great deal to help celebrate the 150th anniversary of the club this year. They back the team for 90 minutes and produce tifos. But taking pyro away hasn’t sterilised the sport and meant there is no atmosphere to invigorate the team.

“The ultras still bring that fiery atmosphere that is renowned around Europe. But it now doesn’t go over the top and become less about the football and more about fans trying to hurt each other physically and verbally.”

Kountourour continued, “There are still underlying problems. Pyrotechnics are certainly still being used by some fans at games. Only recognised ultras groups are allowed entry to stadiums. But there are still criminal organisations involved in the underbelly of Greek football. They have to be stamped out.

“The Hellenic Football Federation and the Greek Super League are trying hard to legitimise Greek football, to make it a more desirable package for sponsors, to make it more marketable, to make more money essentially. No one's going to watch it if a gun gets pulled out in the stadium or lit flares are thrown at players or referees.

“But there haven’t been any games stopped or abandoned or point deductions or fines and the league has continued. The ultras have played a big part in that.”

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