Deputy Sports Minister Yannis Vroutsis, following the letter he sent to Dimitris Giannakopoulos and the Angelopoulos brothers, stressed that it is not in the interest of any club to not participate in Wednesday’s meeting.

“The government has proven that it has the courage, the boldness, the foresight and the determination. A year and a half ago we took a very serious and bold legislative initiative, perhaps unprecedented even by European standards. The Swedes came and copied the Greek model,” the deputy minister of sports initially stressed on the response to sports violence on ERT.

The picture in basketball and football at the fan level is completely different, he said next and explained that, “yesterday what we saw had nothing to do with the fans, because not a single firecracker was thrown. Not a single firecracker was thrown. No object was thrown into the pitch. It had only to do with the players and that does not honor the sport or its values or basketball, which we should be proud of the level we have reached in Greek basketball throughout Europe.”

Mr. Vroutsis recalled that “a short while ago I issued a decision under which Wednesday’s game between Panathinaikos and Olympiacos is postponed” and stressed that “on the same day I am calling the owners of the two clubs, in my office at the Ministry of Sports, to make a moral agreement, a sports agreement between us. Whatever happened, happened, but sport and basketball must go ahead and make a joint statement, come out and commit everyone in front of me, that the league will continue, without these unacceptable images, without these embarrassing images, which insult all of us, sport, fans, basketball and also that we will continue the league until the end. With rivalry, with polite participation of all, for the good of sport.”

He added, “a moral commitment that will be reflected in the channels as well.”

He went on to say that “it is in no one’s interest, neither Panathinaikos nor Olympiacos, not to participate in this meeting. In principle, anyone who does not come will take the responsibility for not attending. If they do come, both should commit themselves, because it makes no sense for such a top sport with so many thousands of fans in Greece, which has made us proud throughout Europe and the world, to be tarnished by these images.”

He stressed that, “it is not possible to see such images from the players” and that “this will end“.

He made it clear that if there is no moral commitment, “the league will stop here, on my office table.”

As he said, “there are other institutions that should have taken their responsibilities accordingly. Since they don’t, at all levels of sport, the state steps forward. We take all the responsibility and we will go all the way. Sport is changing. Greece deserves a good sport. We have succeeded at all levels.”

As for whether the decision to hold games behind closed doors is out of the question, he said, “We are not doing a little up, little down transaction. We are determined to go all the way and we will go all the way. So here, it will be decided on Wednesday, 3 o’clock if they have the will, not the fans, not the Olympiacos and Panathinaikos fans, who are adorable and love their team and fight for it with passion, but the agents who ignite the atmosphere. That ends. On Wednesday we will have a yes or no vote.“