Greek football fans return to stadiums but authorities warned new measures won’t ‘completely eradicate violence’

Supporter violence in Greece spiralled out of control.

In December 2023, the Greek government announced that all top-flight football matches will be played behind closed doors for two months, in the latest crackdown on football hooliganism.

With fans returning to stadiums this February, how did a culture of intimidation and brutality become so rife within Greek football? 

European football expert Kevin Hatchard told talkSPORT: “It’s an enormous problem, and it's not just a Greece problem. It’s just that Greece is a spectacular example. In the last twenty years, it’s thought that thirteen people have died because of football related violence.”

More recent spates of incidents included a student killed in Thessaloniki for supporting a rival team, while an AEK Athens supporter was stabbed to death before a Champions League qualifier with Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb. 

Violence and aggression has plagued Greek football for decades and its spillover into other sports has become a major concern for authorities. 

Greek football expert and Sun Sport correspondent Kostas Lianos told talkSPORT: “In December 2023, during a volleyball match between Olympiacos and Panathinaikos, hooligans hit a policeman with a flare. He later died in hospital from his injuries.”

The issues in Greek football go beyond incidents in the stands and out on the streets. Off the pitch, the sport has been tarnished by accusati