Four years have passed since the murder of Alki Kabanos in the area of Thessaloniki. In the morning, a mass was held in memory of the 19-year-old with his parents, athletes, and dozens of citizens paying tribute. “Sport unites, it doesn’t kill,” his father said, noting that “we have suffered the life sentences in this case.”

Athletes from Aris’ football and basketball teams and other sections of the club were at the site and left candles and flowers at the spot where Alkis Kamanos was murdered in the early hours of February 1, 2022. Present were also the parents of Alkis, Aristidis Kamanos, and Melina Kakoulidou, who lost their child in such an unjust way, according to thestival.gr.

“This is a tragic anniversary, a sad day,” Ms Kakoulidou said in a statement, while thanking those who were at the scene of her child’s murder today despite the bad weather. She also pointed out that this sad anniversary coincides with the tragedy in Romania and the seven friends of PAOK. “I am shocked by this event. May this never happen again, may we not lose any more young children,” she said.

“We have suffered the life sentences in this case.”

Alkis’s father, Aristides Campanos, said in a statement to ERT that “four years have passed, my wife and I have learned to live with this pain and as he said outside the courts, ‘we have suffered the life sentences in this case.” The four years happened with this bad circumstance, and the seven PAOK children we lost so badly in the accident in Romania. Something is happening that we have to fix. At such difficult times when such bad events happen, there must be some moments of reflection and not criticism and judgment. We have to see what is happening, what is to blame, and correct it to improve situations.”

“The judiciary’s decision finds us in agreement, where there is crime, there must be punishment. I repeat that strict laws work for offenders. If we are the right people, in the country where democracy was born, we should not fear them but embrace them and obey them. There is no need to fear someone legally. The lawbreakers should fear the laws,” he said.

“I’ve been in touch with the kids, and I see that they are getting the messages; they are listening. Maybe it’s the positive picture of this situation, the kids are listening. In addition to talking to our children, we need to correct ourselves to set an example. We can’t go to the courts and get dirty and then want our kids to behave better. That is, in addition to words, we need the example of our elders. To give something better to our children,” he said.

“Sport unites, not kills.”

“Something is going wrong; all the measures taken by the state are in a positive direction. But it’s not just the state’s concern, it’s everyone’s concern. Tough times should unite us. We should not be divided by names, by groups; we should be united and united to face bad events. We went to light a candle in the memory of the PAOK children, we left some flowers to show by our action that we have nothing to separate, whether Aris or PAOK,” said among other things.

“Sport unites, not kills. Sport was born in Greece, just like democracy. We must essentially embrace this, which is a sign of civilization and move one step forward,” he said, reiterating that “the measures have been taken. It is not a question of measures; it is a question of all of us. We all need to change, to embrace, and to go deeper into the problem. These are moments of reflection, contemplation, and unity for all fans.”