DunfermlineAthleticPAOK

Sadly i didn't. My fiance doesn't ask anything of me but she asked (or rather pleaded) for me not to go just this once. She was worried i would be arrested, or worse, end up in hospital. Although every cell was screaming for me to be there.. i just couldn't put her through the worry so I decided that for once i would be sensible. I was absolutely gutted and so jealous when getting videos and messages from people i knew that were on there way down or already in Athens. I couldn't sleep at all on Friday night and was a nervous wreck leading up to KO. I have developed such a passion for this great club over the last 3 and a half years and I am not ashamed to admit that i had a tear or two in my eye when Vieirinha scored. All weekend I was out in Edinburgh with my Savvidis mask and PAOK fan club top, bursting with pride! Nothing can wipe the smile from my face.

Yeah my mistake, I thought Biseswar was up this June but its 2019 so I'm very happy with that. I think he's a class act and would be the first name on the team sheet for me.

If we can keep Prijovic, Pelkas and Biseswar for next season then i will be delighted.

Brilliant win for PAOK and the team went out with a point to prove and they certainly showed who the best team in Greece are. Big summer for PAOK now in terms of recruitment. Next season with the manager and squad more settled will be good and hopefully they go for the jugular.

The penalty is what we call in Scotland, a “stone waller”. Absolutely no doubt about it and as clear as your likely to get. Diego is clever in his movement to get between the ball and defender. The challenge is stupid and clumsy but it’s a clear foul and penalty. Anyone argueing different is on the wind up and I can’t believe I started explaining why it was not dubious. “he started laughing when they showed the replay” Was that because you tried to say that it was not a penalty or that the decision was questionable?

Absolute guarantee that there will be at least 12 yellows and a sending off. He loves to get his cards out. When this game calls for a strong ref with a cool head, we get a card happy, primadonna.... Great! As for the Greek refs.. can't agree more with Blackhawk. Its tragic and pretty insulting that they can complain after the circus that they helped to create. It actually highlights their arrogance.

JVC are you OK? You are like a bitter old man posting rambling gibberish. You club is a shambles and the prospect of dying is a real possibility. You seem to hate PAOK more than you love your own team and it’s pretty unhealthy. Serious question: What has Greece done to you that has made you so bitter towards it? You come across as so spiteful and mocking of Greece (and Europe). You also seem to have delusions of grandeur because you live in Canada.. It is again, very bizarre behavior.

Do you know how serious the injury is? As long as he’s back and fit for the final then I’m ok with him missing this weekend.

17,200 tickets each, 6,000 to EPO Officials, sponsors, etc and then nearly 35,000 empty seats ? ? I wonder how many will turn up and try to get in?

I hope we go out and destroy them big time. Make a statement and keep the momentum and confidence going for the final.

Will there be as much trouble as last year? I mean, the stadium design didn't help and the police had zero control over anything inside or outside. Will it not be much easier to keep the fans separated inside and outside of OAKA? Surely if fans will be allowed then they would draft in the army on top of every single available riot police and them just shut down the area. Was there a lot of trouble he last time in 2014? i know there were scuffles and posturing inside the stadium but was that not mainly between the fans and the police? Were the fans able to congregate anywhere in the city or was it direct buses from Toumba to OAKA and then herded straight inside the stadium? Did anyone on the forum go in 2014 or going this year? I am in too minds on whether to book my flights as i don't want to spend all that money and used up holidays from work for the game to be abandoned (again!).

I'm hearing that PAOK will hold a meeting to discuss the possibility of not turning up for the final. Do you think that is a real possibility or are they just trolling AEK and EPO?

Have to admit, The Builder's goal last night was pretty special. Although for Larissa to have left AEKs best player on his own in the box is pretty criminal. Also, Pelkas with another quality finish... does he ever score tap ins?

Job done. I have heard and read that the players are wanting AEK in the final. To be honest, I am in two minds. Winning the Cup would be amazing regardless and the easiest route to that outcome is to play Larissa but to beat AEK (and to beat them convincingly) would be very satisfying indeed. Anyway, I am away to book my flights to Thessaloniki/Kavala now.. couldn't go last year but no chance I'm missing this. If the game gets abandoned before KO again then I'll accept that I'm cursed and and stick to European competition away games!

"Savage Savidis" Haha...Are you a Journalist? If so i assume you specialise in Sensationalism? PAOK now has the money and clout to defend it's self. You poked the bear too many times .. Don't blame us for having the audacity to fight against this corrupt system. At least we have the balls to fight back! To me it's obvious that this is nothing to do with trying to get Savidis 'off the hook'? It's to prove that there was no fear and that the AEK players, officials and the referee have lied and manipulated the rules to have a game abandoned so that they had the chance to win a title by a technicality in a court room.. PAOK were cruising to the title until Olympiakos decide that they had no intention of playing the game. Savidis had a massive error of judgment, an error which AEK jumped on. Imagine looking back on the season you won a title and reminiscing of the court case that you won it in????? reminiscing about the judges name rather than a goal scorer???? Its embarrassing and pretty shameful. when you actually thing about it, it's mental!!

Anyone agreeing with the rules and comparing what happened last season with the beer can and the roll of paper this year is part of the problem... or at the very least least a symptom of the problem. There is no common sense applied and the rules are taken advantage of to the detriment of the game in Greece. Play the PAOK math behind closed doors.. no one could argue that isn’t the fair thing to do at least. With regards to the game against AEK. Play the last few mins with the score that was on the board at the time... Whether that was 1-0 or 0-0. Then investigate what the f@vk went on with the officials after PAOK scored. The officials lost all control and must either be incompetent or cheating. Either way they should be investigated, then if deemed incompetent rather than corrupt, sent through training and courses to improve or just admit that officiating high pressure games of football are not for them. ‘Weak’ and ‘culpable’ are two words I would use to discribe them and their shocking performance. Finally, the ‘punish all’ rules in Greek football are a joke and only make people more entrenched and divided. Punish the guilty.. not the innocent.

Or just look closer to home with POK. They banded together to protect their own interests and this has continued in one form or another. Before, they thought that PAOK didn't matter but now that's not the case and we cannot be ignored . Sadly their (Olympiakos) obsession control and power is so great and because the champions league has been such a cash cow for their owners that they are not interested in a competitive league. This self preservation attitude has caused the product to fail and the chickens are coming home to roost. Olympiakos have been systematically destroying Greek football and this will take a huge amount of time, effort and trust to look at the bigger picture and rebuild by working together. In saying that i think that bridges have been so badly burned, and as there is less than no trust, It's near impossible to even imagine that scenario happening. The problem seems to be that corruption, cheating, criminal activity, match fixing etc has left everyone with so much mistrust that there's back stabbing galore. Its like a badly dubbed game of thrones.

Blackhawk has absolutely nailed it here. "The only reason AEK was "threatened" was because the ref informed them that the score was 1:0. If it was 0:0 they would have come out on the field without any problem." It's no surprise that in the two biggest games of the season, both in toumba, both in which PAOK were going to win, both their apponents were part of P.O.K. and with PAOK bulldozing their way to the championship... is it any wonder that this has gone on? I'll repeat again, It's a total disgrace that this can be entertained as an actual scenario we find ourselves in. The superleague and EPO have allowed these 'rules' and punishments to be upheld so that they can protect mainly 1 team. If they had any ounce of moral fiber then they would replay the PAOK v Olympiakos and explain then decision to allow the result with AEK stand (or play the last few mins with the score at 1-0). This is in my honest opinion, the only way for the league to save face. Allow it to be won on sporting merit and then look at the rules and punishments at the end of the season as it cannot carry on in its current format. "Would not be shocked if that happens and only in Greece that the olympiakos appeal for the crowd incident with aek is being postponed till after the PAOK-AEK outcome! " I actually think that the way the olympiakos appeal has been dealt with is beyond laughable. Its so arrogant and obvious that its insulting to everyone with an interest in greek football.

Isn’t that the problem JVC? Some individuals, fans and clubs don’t want it to be about football. They would rather win a league by another team getting docked points and points awarded in their courts rather than sporting merit. Thats the problem, everything was going fine until Olympiakos realised that PAOK (and AEK) were pulling away and they were looking out of it. It’s an absalute disgrace that it’s entertained and accepted as normal. That the league can be sabotaged by a petulant set of people that cannot accept not being in control and dominant.

Thanks very much for sharing that. It just shows you the type of forces that are at play here. It's actually quite incredible.

http://www.paokfc.gr/nea/20180314-anakoinosi-upallilon-pae-paok/ Statement of PAOK FC employees 14.03.2018 Ανακοίνωση Υπαλλήλων ΠΑΕ ΠΑΟΚ Οι υπάλληλοι της ΠΑΕ ΠΑΟΚ στέλνουν το δικό τους μήνυμα μετά τα τελευταία γεγονότα. 14.03.2018 Τις τελευταίες μέρες γινόμαστε μάρτυρες μίας συντονισμένης επίθεσης τόσο στον Πρόεδρο της ΠΑΕ ΠΑΟΚ, όσο και στην ίδια την ομάδα που υπηρετούμε. Οι επιθέσεις αυτές στο πρόσωπο του Ιβάν Σαββίδη, για εμάς που τον γνωρίζουμε και τον ζούμε πλέον καθημερινά, δεν είναι μόνο άδικες, αλλά είναι και υποκριτικές. Ο κύριος Σαββίδης έχει ανεβάσει τα επίπεδα ασφάλειας και σωστής διεξαγωγής αγώνων στην Τούμπα, σε σημεία που κανείς δεν φανταζόταν. Παρέχει αφειδώς όλες εκείνες τις συνθήκες σε εμάς να παράγουμε έργο για τον σύλλογο που υπηρετούμε και βρίσκεται πάντα δίπλα μας για να ανεβάσει ακόμη περισσότερο τον πήχη των προσδοκιών. Οι στοχευμένες και συντονισμένες επιθέσεις όχι μόνο δεν κλονίζουν, αλλά αντίθετα ενισχύουν την εκτίμηση και την αγάπη μας προς το πρόσωπό του. Ο κύριος Σαββίδης προτίμησε να πάρει πάνω του όλη τη φθορά, προκειμένου να προστατεύσει την δική μας δουλειά και την υπόληψη της Τούμπας κι αυτό είναι από μόνο του ηρωικό. Είναι σειρά μας να είμαστε η δική του ασπίδα! Με εκτίμηση, Υπάλληλοι ΠΑΕ ΠΑΟΚ

This is my take on it. Mauricio was not in the keepers line of sight and did not affect the play. You can tell a lot from players reactions and the keeper had no complaints what so ever and neither did any of the players bar 1 who made a fuss (probable more a release of motion than anything) and then when they all jumped on the bandwagon, all hell broke loose The linesman ran straight back to towards the half way line with his flag down, he had no intention of giving it as offside. In 'close' calls the benefit of the doubt should always be given to the attacking team. The officials totally f@cked it with the way they handled the situation and allowed the drama to build up. The main point is that they gave the goal, then were swayed by AEK's bench and players, then disallowed it, then started strutting about as if they were enjoying being the center of attention. We watch football to see the players, not some power happy drama queen with a whistle.

http://www.paokfc.gr/en/news/20180312-dilosi-ivan-savvidi/, "I wish to apologize to all PAOK supporters, Greek fans and the international football community. I am deeply sorry for what happened. I had absolutely no right to enter the pitch the way I did. My emotional reaction stems from the widespread negative situations prevailing in Greek football lately and from all the unacceptable, non sports-related events that took place towards the end of the PAOK – AEK Athens encounter: the actions of the referee and his assistant (goal – offside – goal), the match suspension, the protests and invasion on the pitch by many people from both sides. All that could lead to uncontrollable situations. My only aim was to protect tens of thousands of PAOK fans from provocation, riots and human casualties. Please believe that I had no intention to engage in a brawl with our opponents or the referees. And Ι obviously did not threaten anybody. Unfortunately, my family and I, as well as my colleagues, have been taken hostage by a totally sick football status-quo. Despite the non-stop attacks I am facing on all fronts, I fight and I will continue to fight for fair football, equitable refereeing in all encounters and titles being won on the pitch and not in courtrooms. I would like to apologize once again. PAOK FC President Ivan Savvidis"

PAOK are being made out to be the bogeyman here but the system is so corrupt and has been broken for so long that it had to boil over at some point. TBH when you go back and look at previous incidents, then what happened on Sunday night was nowhere near the worst and I am actually surprised that in years past, clubs have not just gone "whats the point?" and given up totally due to being sick and tired or the same crap every year. Ask yourself what the difference is now in 2018 rather than any of the past 20+ years? In my honest opinion, it's clear why this is getting so much attention and faux outrage. Savvidis has come in and kicked the hornets nest big time and spoiled the equilibrium. God only knows what he was thinking on Sunday night and he deserves to get punished big time to stop things like this happening again. The players and fans should not be punished for this sorry mess. The money men and people with 'power' in Greece have caused this and its been coming for a long time. Funnily enough, up until Olympiakos fans stormed the pitch, this season was passing without major incident and seemed to be fairly contested with games and the league being decided on the pitch. Why anyone would want to be a ref is mystery but especially in Greece. They lost total control with the farcical way they handled the situation.They are over dramatic and get far too animated which only makes it worse. Saying that, the way AEK's players and bench reacted was pretty disgraceful referees need to be more decisive and stronger mentally... i guess it's easier said than done though.

Well said.. take a bow.