With new witness testimonies, the trial for the murder of MAT police officer Giorgos Lyggeridis, held in Piraeus, is scheduled to continue tomorrow. At the same time, however, the justice system is also examining how the incidents leading to the police officer’s murder were organized, as well as identifying those who orchestrated them to be held accountable before the court.

In this context, the competent judicial council is expected to rule in the near future on the prosecutor’s proposal to refer to trial over 100 hooligans from Olympiakos, as well as the leadership of the football team, for a series of offenses.

In her proposal, Public Prosecutor Magdalini Kalpakidou describes the dark and violent backdrop of a criminal organization, which expertly prepared the bloody incidents at the “Melina Merkouri” arena on the night of December 7, 2023, culminating in the murder of Giorgos Lyggeridis. In the prosecutor’s lengthy document, Vangelis Marinakis, K. Karapapas, D. Agrafiotis, Mich. Kountouris, and G. Moralis are listed as defendants!

Specifically, the names of V. Marinakis and his four close associates appear alongside the names of over 100 Olympiakos hooligans, who on the night of December 7, as a “wolf pack,” with the blessings—according to the prosecutor—of the “heads” of the Olympiakos team, attacked the police officers outside the closed gymnasium “Melina Merkouri.” Once they ensured the fatal injury of 31-year-old police officer Giorgos Lyggeridis, they shouted and celebrated the cold-blooded murder.

Now, the proposal of Mrs. Kalpakidou to refer Vangelis Marinakis, K. Karapapas, D. Agrafiotis, Mich. Kountouris, and Giannis Moralis to trial for financing this criminal organization that “thrives” within Olympiakos by committing even murders, is now at the Athens Court of Misdemeanors Council. According to information obtained by “protothema.gr,” it is a matter of days before the council members issue their decision, determining whether the aforementioned Olympiakos officials, including president Vangelis Marinakis, will stand trial in criminal court for the charges of supporting and financing the criminal organization of their team’s hooligans and inciting sports violence.

In this context, the competent judicial council is expected to rule soon on the prosecutor’s proposal to refer over 100 Olympiakos hooligans to trial, along with the leadership of the football team, for a series of offenses.

In her proposal, Public Prosecutor Magdalini Kalpakidou describes the dark and violent background of a criminal organization, which expertly prepared the bloody incidents at the “Melina Merkouri” arena on the night of December 7, 2023, culminating in the murder of Giorgos Lyggeridis. In the prosecutor’s detailed document, Vangelis Marinakis, K. Karapapas, D. Agrafiotis, Mich. Kountouris, and G. Moralis are listed as defendants!

Specifically, the names of V. Marinakis and his four close associates appear alongside the names of over 100 Olympiakos hooligans, who on the night of December 7, as a “wolf pack,” with the blessings—according to the prosecutor—of the “heads” of the Olympiakos team, attacked the police officers outside the “Melina Merkouri” gym. Once they confirmed the fatal injury of 31-year-old police officer Giorgos Lyggeridis, they shouted and celebrated the cold-blooded murder.

Now, the proposal of Mrs. Kalpakidou to refer Vangelis Marinakis, K. Karapapas, D. Agrafiotis, Mich. Kountouris, and Giannis Moralis to trial for financing this criminal organization that “thrives” within Olympiakos by committing even murders, is now at the Athens Court of Misdemeanors Council. According to information obtained by “protothema.gr,” it is a matter of days before the council members issue their decision, determining whether the aforementioned Olympiakos officials, including president Vangelis Marinakis, will stand trial in criminal court for the charges of supporting and financing the criminal organization of their team’s hooligans and inciting sports violence.

However, in this statement, as emphasized by Ms. Kalpakidou and mainly through the use of words and phrases such as “criminal organization,” “mafia,” “gang,” “shame,” “CORRUPT PARASTATE”… “Shall we wait for an unimaginable tragedy to wake up the government and get them to act? For at least 3.5 years, five million people have been systematically provoked, and an outburst was at least expected…” (…) Vangelis Marinakis and his co-defendants “provoked and publicly incited Olympiakos supporters to commit serious criminal offenses and misdemeanors, including violent acts against the police officers of the YMET (Special Unit for Riot Control), as representatives of the State, whom they addressed with the above statement, and as those responsible, according to their crucial statement, for the illegal actions against Olympiakos and its fans, covering up those illegal actions and supporting rival teams of Olympiakos. Their reference to an unimaginable tragedy could be considered dramatically prophetic, if it weren’t part of their intention to incite Olympiakos supporters to launch an organized attack against the YMET forces, as happened just a few days later.”

“They knew everything”

Vangelis Marinakis and his co-defendants, according to the prosecutor, knew everything about the criminal organization of Olympiakos’ hooligans, whose… leaders and subordinates were tasked with recruiting new members and giving the “signal” to start the riots in sports venues. Nevertheless, they funded and supported them. Ms. Kalpakidou states in her proposal: “In their positions, while they knew about the existence, operation, and actions of the criminal organization, as well as its leadership and senior members, they provided these with assets and financial means, guidance, and information, that is, they financed either directly or indirectly the criminal organization, simultaneously assisting in the recruitment of new members, knowing that they were facilitating and aiding in the commission of the criminal acts for which this organization was formed.”

The following pages in the prosecutor’s proposal reveal the extent of knowledge Vangelis Marinakis and his co-defendants had regarding the activities of the criminal organization.

The prosecutor presents numerous pieces of evidence, with the most revealing being the following observations about the leadership members of Olympiakos under investigation: “The defendants provided direct and indirect financial support to these leadership figures, as well as to other members of the criminal organization known as ‘THYRA 7,’ i.e., they provided assets, both tangible and intangible, and financial resources, guidance, information, and directions, while also helping in recruiting new members to the criminal organization. Specifically, they, acting together, meaning after mutual agreement, with common design, intent, and action, provided free of charge to the aforementioned leadership and other senior members of the criminal organization an unknown number of tickets and at least one hundred and fifty (150) invitations for home matches of Olympiakos’ Football and Amateur Sports Departments, so that these could sell and distribute them illegally, primarily in the surrounding area of the ‘Georgios Karaiskakis’ stadium and the ‘Melina Merkouri’ gymnasium, either at the stated price or at a higher price, thus profiting from this activity and using the proceeds to carry out the criminal acts of their criminal organization. For the same reason, they further allowed members of the criminal organization to be at the entrances (gates) of the ‘Georgios Karaiskakis’ stadium and ‘Melina Merkouri’ gymnasium during home games, permitting supporters to enter the stadium without tickets, either for a fee ranging from 20 to 50 euros or for free, thus providing further financial support and offering means for recruiting new members to the criminal organization, as they used this ability to attract new members, especially minors or young people, supporters of Olympiakos, even in exchange for free entry to sporting activities involving Olympiakos.”

Furthermore, according to the prosecutor: “The defendants provided other privileges to the aforementioned leadership members of the criminal organization, granting them credentials for access and free movement throughout all areas and gates of the ‘Georgios Karaiskakis’ stadium and the ‘Melina Merkouri’ gymnasium during Olympiakos’ football and amateur sports matches. They even allowed certain members of the criminal organization to freely move around the stadium and the playing field of the aforementioned sports facilities, without any accreditation… They offered these leadership figures status and authority in the eyes of the younger Olympiakos supporters, so they would gain the corresponding respect from the younger fans and facilitate the recruitment of new members for the criminal organization, which they led as mentioned above. Simultaneously, they granted them free access to various areas of the Olympiakos sports facilities, facilitating coordination and guidance of the members of the criminal organization for the commission of their criminal actions, which took place either inside or in the immediate vicinity of the aforementioned sports facilities.”

Blackmail and the warehouse at “G. Karaiskakis” for flares

Indeed, as noted by the prosecutor, the “leaders” of Olympiakos had granted the leadership and senior members of their criminal organization the “right to use and manage a storage space within the ‘Georgios Karaiskakis’ stadium,” providing them with keys to this space in order to store Olympiakos fan banners, as well as, when necessary, items used by the criminal organization for attacks on police forces, such as flares and smoke bombs.

Furthermore, according to the prosecutor, the defendants “with these methods and their free presence in the immediate vicinity of the ‘Georgios Karaiskakis’ stadium allowed the leadership and other members of the aforementioned criminal organization to engage in aggravated (felonious) blackmail against street vendors who set up their stands and booths around the stadium, extracting from each of them an unknown exact amount of money, ranging from 20 to 50 euros.”

As clarified by Ms. Kalpakidou, the leaders of Olympiakos “although they knew that this criminal activity was taking place during all of Olympiakos’ home games, did not report it to the authorities, nor did they prevent it in any way, thereby helping them make large sums of money at every home game of Olympiakos, which were funneled into the criminal activities of the organization, and which also served as an incentive for the leadership and senior members of the criminal organization to continue their criminal activity.”

Moral’s appointments and the daily wages of the hooligans

However, the “gifts” from V. Marinakis and his collaborators to the members of their criminal organization did not stop at blackmail, free tickets, credentials, and access to “G. Karaiskakis.” Through the mayor of Piraeus, I. Moral, some of the hooligans were also sorted out professionally, with salaries reaching up to 1,500 euros per month!

The prosecutor’s proposal mentions exactly: “Additionally, through the position of Ioannis MORALIS of Petros, as Mayor of Piraeus, during the same period, they hired, under fixed-term private contracts, members of the criminal organization as workers in the Environment and Green Department of the Municipality of Piraeus (specific names are mentioned), who were paid by the Municipality of Piraeus with the legally required gross wages during their employment period as workers (i.e., up to approximately 1,500 euros per month), although they did not actually attend work, meaning they did not perform any corresponding work. In this way, they provided financial means for the continuation of their illegal activity as leadership and senior members of the criminal organization. They also provided employment to a senior member of the criminal organization, (…) by employing them at the limited liability company ‘REDSTORE LEGENDARY GIFTS ONE-PERSON LTD,’ the official boutique of Olympiakos located at the ‘Georgios Karaiskakis’ stadium, while also employing a member of the criminal organization, (…) at the ticket department of PAE Olympiakos, giving them the ability to manage the tickets and invitations issued to the leadership and senior members of the criminal organization, with whom they were in direct communication. Similarly, as members of the PAE Olympiakos Administration, they cooperated for the maintenance of part of the order measures at the ‘Georgios Karaiskakis’ stadium with the partnership ‘A. STIVAKTAKIS and CO. Ltd. Private Security Service Company,’ because this company employed senior members of the criminal organization, such as (…) and other unknown members, thus providing them with additional financial support, as well as credentials for the stadium gates during Olympiakos’ sports events (as field management staff), allowing them to permit entry for fans without tickets and without inspection, as described above.”

And legal support!

The leadership of “Olympiakos” did not, of course, leave its criminal organization members unprotected when they, not infrequently, faced legal issues. According to the prosecutor, they even provided legal support. Ms. Kalpakidou states: “They provided (Marinakis and his co-defendants) additional financial support to the members of the aforementioned criminal organization by financing the provision of legal services to them in cases where they faced charges for the various criminal offenses they committed as part of the organization’s activities. Specifically, in cases where a member of the criminal organization was being investigated for a criminal offense committed in the course of the organization’s activities, they arranged for the search and payment of the respective lawyer.”

How they murdered G. Lygkeridis

According to the case file and the events themselves, the peak of the Olympiakos criminal organization’s activities was the murder of G. Lygkeridis. The way it happened is described frame by frame in the indictment with which the 19-year-old Olympiakos fan, now tried as the physical perpetrator of the crime, is currently being judged.

According to the court ruling, which is in possession of protothema.gr, on that night, “approximately 500 Olympiakos fans were present at ‘Melina Merkouri’, of which 200 belonged to the organized group.” As the judges state, “the premeditated decision and purpose of the organized fans of the team was to unite their forces, to join under the guidance of certain individuals who held leadership positions, and as a crowd to launch a coordinated attack with lethal intent against the police officers stationed outside the specific sports facility to maintain order.” This objective would be carried out, according to the judges who issued the ruling, “with repeated throws of improvised explosive devices, incendiary devices like Molotov bombs, which they had made and arranged to acquire that day (the day of the match), as well as flares and other items suitable for an attack and capable of causing severe injury and death to anyone (such as stones, marbles, etc.).”

“Organized Plan”

As stated in the legal document, the disturbances at “Melina Merkouri” took place as part of an “organized plan” with Olympiakos fans – including the 19-year-old and his brother – gathering from the afternoon of December 7th outside “Georgios Karaiskakis.” There, they constructed the explosive devices that they would later transport to “Melina Merkouri” that same evening, which they “intended to throw at the police officers during the planned attack against them.” According to the ruling, the 19-year-old, at the command of another fan, was the one who bought the gasoline bottles from a gas station to make the explosive materials.

During their preparation, the Olympiakos fans openly referred to the attack they had “pre-decided” to carry out against the police. A defendant in the case stated explicitly in his pretrial confession: “Some people were saying that if the police came, they would go and f**k them up.” Once the fans were “prepared,” they arrived at “Melina Merkouri,” making sure, according to the judges, “to hide the munitions near the entrance of the sports facility, and a large number of them remained at the spot waiting for the start of the attack.”

The court ruling specifies that the incidents began at 21:00 that day and notes that the Olympiakos fans, after managing to approach a MAT (riot police) unit at a distance of approximately 80 to 100 meters, “started a fierce attack against the police officers, throwing stones, marbles, iron rods, etc. (…) and a series of hand-held naval-type flares, which they launched directly at them with a fire hose and a gun.”

“Today, we will kill all of you”

During these critical moments, while the police officers were trying to repel the attacks using tear gas and flashbang grenades, the fans – hooligans – continued their assaults, shouting at the MAT (riot police) officers: “Fk you all, today we will kill you all, we will fk you up here.” Finally, half an hour later, they achieved their goal. The judges state: “Around 21:30 (on December 7, 2023), while the intense attacks against the police continued unabated, as the attackers persisted in their goal to hit a police officer, a flare (naval-type) fired by an assailant among the attacking Olympiakos fans, who were positioned 20-30 meters away from the police unit, struck the sergeant George Lyggeridis, as it impaled his left thigh and exploded inside his leg, causing uncontrollable bleeding.” As testified by eyewitnesses – police officers during the preliminary investigation – the flare that hit their colleague “came from a person” who “aimed directly at the officer with the obvious intent to kill him, hitting him directly without the flare ricocheting.” While 31-year-old George Lyggeridis lay on the ground heavily wounded, the Olympiakos fans, according to the ruling, continued their attack, and when they realized “they had achieved their goal, meaning they had heavily injured a police officer,” cheers, excitement, and celebrations erupted from the crowd. And all of this, while they watched the police officers running to their severely injured colleague, with one of them removing, while wearing a fireproof glove, the majority of the flare from Lyggeridis’ left thigh!

The Confession

According to the indictment, the person who, on that night, fired the fatal flare at the 31-year-old police officer is none other than the 19-year-old who is now on trial at the Mixed Jury Court of Piraeus. The evidence cited by the judges is overwhelming, so much so that it led them to reject the defendant’s defense claim that he did indeed fire the flare but that another unidentified individual (with his features covered) handed it to him, without him firing it directly at the MAT unit.

To reject the defendant’s claims, the judges relied on, among other things, the words of the 19-year-old himself, who, in a conversation with his brother on January 15, 2024, openly admits, without remorse, that “the flare I fired went straight and didn’t ricochet,” as he explicitly stated. It should be noted, however, that the defendant’s brother later denied this confession, claiming that his statements were made under pressure during the preliminary investigation by the police.

This conversation between the two brothers is included in the indictment and goes as follows:

Brother: Did it really ricochet?

Defendant: No. Brother: Oh, I’m going to f***ing kill you, I swear.

Defendant: It didn’t ricochet, it went straight.

Brother: I’ll kill you, one of them ricocheted, went under the car, and the other stuck directly into the cop.

The 19-year-old’s direct shot at George Lyggeridis is also confirmed by another defendant who participated in the incident. According to this defendant, in a conversation with an unknown person that night, the flare was fired “in a straight line, and whoever gets hit, gets hit.”

This conversation, as included in the indictment, goes as follows:

Unknown person: They went for a kill? They went to kill.

Defendant: Yes, they went to f*** up the MAT and there weren’t many MAT officers.

Furthermore, the members of the court rejected the 19-year-old’s claim of having no homicidal intent, referring not only to the testimonies of the police officers present that night at the “Melina Mercouri” gym but also to the pre-investigation testimonies of the 19-year-old’s brother and another friend who were with him that night at the sports venue. Both of these individuals “explicitly” testified, as mentioned in the indictment, that “the defendant confessed immediately after the incident about his true responsibility for injuring the police officer.”

For the judges, it is clear that during the investigation, the 19-year-old tried to create the profile of a simple Olympiacos fan in order to lighten his situation. However, based on the evidence, the defendant, in addition to having “no real remorse for the outcome of his actions,” is well-acquainted with the organized fans who engage in incidents, as well as with the “leadership members” of his team’s fan club.

A conversation between the 19-year-old and his brother on December 28, 2024, highlights the defendant’s knowledge of the people in the leadership “pyramid” of the organized fans:

Brother: They’ve declared a criminal organization, they’ve declared it.

19-year-old: Me?

Brother: Everyone, criminal organization.

19-year-old: Well, I’m part of it too.

Brother: Yes, I know.

19-year-old: Anyway, I’ve got that charge with the sports violence.

Brother: Yes, all of us now. Me, you, and 25 others, they say.

19-year-old: Me, you, and 25 others?

Brother: Yes.

19-year-old: Oh, those who found evidence?

Brother: And three leading members of fan clubs.

19-year-old: Hmm… guess who.

Brother: Haha… Kallithea, Ilioupoli, Liossia.

19-year-old: Hmm…

Brother: All together, ha ha. “Karditsa” (leader). I think they’ve found something on him.

19-year-old: We’ll hang out.

Brother: I know, man…

19-year-old: In Avlona. Me, you.

Brother: Yeah?

19-year-old: And the Liossians.

Brother: Why, did they give them away too?

19-year-old: They’ve found a lot on them too, man.

Brother: Who the f*** was one of them?

19-year-old: Nosmipé, Fif…

For the judges who issued the indictment, there is no doubt that the flare the 19-year-old fired was indeed the one that fatally struck George Lyggeridis. To support this claim, they cite the forensic expertise of the Department of Physical and Chemical Examinations of the D.E.E. and emphasize: “Upon analysis of the sample from the defendant’s hands, particles were found that were identical to those of the orange flare tube that the police found on the road on Alexandrou Papadiamanti street. This tube ‘has the same origin as evidence removed from the body of the deceased police officer during surgery.'”

Watch the video: Lyggeridis Case: The full proposal of the prosecutor for the referral of Marinakis to trial.