Latest Greece Soccer News

ATHENS, Greece (AP) _ Greece's police chief urged English soccer fans not to travel to Athens for the Champions League final on May 23 unless they have a ticket. About 20,000 officers will be deployed from greater Athens and other cities for the match in security measures similar to those used for the 2004 Olympics. One English team is guaranteed to play the final. In the semifinals, Liverpool faces Chelsea ...

ATHENS, Greece (AP) _ The Greek government will install surveillance cameras at all national soccer and basketball stadiums by the start of next season to combat ongoing fan violence. Thursday's measures were announced during a two-week ban on all Greek professional team sports after a fan was killed in March 29 clashes between supporters of Olympiakos and Panathinaikos. The ban expires Friday, and Greek league soccer matches resume Sunday. Security ...

Giorgos Korakakis scored a second-half goal Sunday to help Atromitos beat Olympiakos 1-0 and hand the defending champions their first loss of the season. Despite the loss, Olympiakos retains the lead in the Greek league with 18 points, five ahead of Panathinaikos. The Athens club plays crosstown rival AEK on Monday. Olympiakos enjoyed early possession but failed to pose a serious threat. Atromitos had the first big opportunity in the ...

Angelos Charisteas scored an early penalty Wednesday to lead Greece to a 4-0 win over 10-man Bosnia _ its third straight European Championship qualifying victory. Christos Patsatzoglou, Giorgos Samaras and Costas Katsouranis scored for Greece in the second half. Charisteas converted in the ninth minute, silencing 18,000 fans at Bilino Polje Stadium. Russian referee Yuri Baskalov awarded the penalty after Dalibor Silic used his hand to block a cross from ...

Kostas Katsouranis scored in the 31st minute to give Greece a 1-0 win over Norway on Saturday in a European Championship qualifier. The defending European champions have six points from two matches, the same as Turkey. Norway has six points from three matches. ``We are very satisfied with the result,'' Greece coach Otto Rehhagel said. ``We now have six points from two games, which is positive.'' The match at Karaiskakis stadium started after a 50-minute rain delay. Greece got off to ...

Panathinaikos FC have been ordered to play their next UEFA club competition match behind closed doors after crowd disturbances marred the home leg of their UEFA Cup first-round tie against FC Metalurh Zaporizhya. Match delegates reported that fireworks were lit at the Pampeloponnisiako stadium and that plastic bottles were thrown at a Metalurh player when he was substituted after 88 minutes. In addition, a fan invaded the pitch after ...

Ile Dumitrescu has resigned after eight months as PAOK coach. The Romanian, who had replaced Giorgos Kostikos as coach in February, quit after being criticized by PAOK fans following Sunday's 1-1 draw with Apollon Kalamaria, according to the Web site Supersport. PAOK is ninth in the 16-team Greek league with eight points, 10 behind leader Olympiakos.

Theo Zagorakis will remain as Greece captain for the 2008 European championship qualifiers against Norway and Bosnia. The 34-year-old midfielder, who had reportedly been considering retirement, was named in the squad Monday for the Group C games against Norway at home on Oct. 7 and away to Bosnia four days later. Zagorakis had led Greece to victory at the 2004 European championship in Portugal. Manchester City striker Giorgios Samaras and ...

A first-half goal by Milos Maric helped Olympiakos Piraeus beat Iraklis 1-0 and increase its lead in the Greek league on Sunday. With six wins from as many games, the defending champion leads the standings with 18 points, five ahead of Panathinaikos, which salvaged a 3-3 draw at OFI after trailing 3-0 midway through the second half. Maric scored from a free kick in the 25th minute. Olympiakos controlled possession ...

Daniel Tozser scored one goal and set up two on Saturday to help AEK beat Ergotelis 3-1. Nikos Lymberopoulos and Vassilis Lakis scored AEK's other goals as the team rallied from 1-0 down. AEK controlled possession but was stunned in the 42nd minute when Oleg Iacuk scored from close range. AEK got back on terms in the 52nd with a powerful left-foot shot by Hungarian midfielder Tozser from inside the ...