Losing game: Greece's weak defence against hooliganism
Following a deadly attack on a 19-year-old football fan in Thessaloniki in early February, the Greek government has announced new measures aimed at reining in hooliganism.
However, we've been here before in Greece. So, will the latest measures actually make any difference or are they just a knee-jerk, ineffective reaction to a problem that needs a much wider, consistent approach?
We start by asking whether Greece's thinking and methods when addressing sports-related violence are outdated. We spoke to Professor Geoff Pearson, a senior lecturer in criminal law at the University of Manchester, to get a better understanding of how this issue is addressed elsewhere. Geoff is an expert in hooliganism, crowd management and policing.
To discuss Greek football's particular ailments, we spoke to Alexandros Kottis, a freelance journalist based in Athens working for AFP and Courier International, among others.
He recently wrote an article for the BBC about the sad state of Greek football.
Useful links
Professor Geoff Pearson's publications
The infinite chaos of Greek football: How the latest hope for change was lost by Alexandros Kottis
Alexandros's "Supporters" photo project - https://www.facebook.com/Supporters-1784346485175846/
Alkis Kampanos, a 19-year-old Greek football fan murdered for supporting the wrong team - The Athletic
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