| UEFA | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | November 14, 1926 |
| Headquarters | Athens |
| FIFA affiliation | 1927 |
| UEFA affiliation | 1954 |
| President | Panagiotis Dimitriou |
| Website | epo.gr |
The Hellenic Football Federation (HFF), also known as the Greek Football Federation (Greek : Ελληνική Ποδοσφαιρική Ομοσπονδία Ellinikí Podosferikí Omospondía; ΕΠΟ), is the governing body of football in Greece. It contributes in the organisation of Superleague Greece and organizes the Greek Cup and the Greece national team. It is based in Athens.
The Hellenic Football Federation (HFF) was founded on 14 November 1926 by a decision of the three major Unions of the country: Athens, Piraeus and Thessalonica. Its foundation marked the organization of Greek football in compliance with international standards. Since then, the HFF has grown into the biggest sports federation in Greece, as football in the country is regarded as the "king of sports" [1] coming first in the preferences of sports fans.
The HFF is considered a private legal entity and a non-profit organization with registered offices in Athens. It is the only exclusively qualified body [1] in Greece to represent the interests of Greek football and prohibits any political, religious or racial discrimination.
In 1927, the HFF became a member of FIFA [1] and in 1954 became one of the first members of UEFA. Amongst its obligations as member of international sports bodies, the HFF accepts the statutes, regulations, directives and decisions issued by FIFA and UEFA. The HFF also has to ensure that they are accepted by all individuals and clubs in Greek football.
On 3 July 2006, FIFA ruled the HFF was failing to adhere to the principles of the FIFA statutes regarding FIFA's political independence. Accordingly, the HFF was indefinitely suspended from international football. In response, Greek officials proposed a change in FIFA's law. However, FIFA ruled it too constituted an interference of the government in matters that should be under the football federation's jurisdiction. As such, FIFA concluded Greece would not be able to meet its 15 July 2006 deadline and should therefore be suspended until further notice. The suspension would have meant Greek clubs would not be allowed to participate in international competitions, and that the Greece national team would not be able to participate in international matches. [2] [3] There were also doubts cast over whether the 2007 UEFA Champions League Final will be played at Athens' Olympic Stadium as previously scheduled. [4]
However, on 7 July 2006, the Greek government ratified a new version of the sports law, [5] granting the HFF independence and therefore adherence to FIFA's laws. FIFA announced the lifting of its ban that day, judging that the amendments adhered to FIFA and UEFA statutes. This allowed Greece to participate in UEFA Euro 2008 and also allowed Greek clubs to participate in European competitions.
On 11 December 2008, HFF president Vassilis Gagatsis resigned from his position after an eight-year tenure. [6] New elections were held on 17 January 2009, making Giorgos Sarris the new president. However, Sarris' election was controversial, with reports claiming the election was not fair and that Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis had allegedly using his power to help appoint Sarris. [7]
In April 2013, the HFF announced its new partnership with Nike, which also became the official supplier of clothes and equipment for the Greece national team. On the eve of the announcement, Giorgos Sarris praised the new partnership [8] hoping that "it will contribute to the overall advancement of domestic football".
The HFF has organised major football events with success. The most important "moments", as to the participating clubs, are:
The structure of the HFF is pyramid shaped. It is based on 2,000,000 football players and 5,773 football clubs, 3,700 from which are actively participating in official competitions of every kind, which take place throughout the country, covering all ages. The clubs come under the 53 Regional Unions of Football Clubs. The professional competitions are being organized by the Professional League (Greek League). The HFF is the supreme football authority, the one that all the clubs and professional teams come under and forms the top of the pyramid.
The General Assembly, convening once a year, is actually the HFF parliament. It is the Assembly that, according to the Statutes, decides on everything about Greek football. They can change the Statutes and the regulations of the Federation, enforce new ones, audit the financial review for the previous fiscal year and the budget for the year to come, vote (every four years) and monitor the Administration's work.
The divisions of H.F.F. are: The Sporting Division, the Management Division, the Finance and Marketing Division, the International Relations Division, and the Press and Mass Media Division.
The operation of H.F.F. relies on the above-mentioned divisions that function on the responsibility of their respective managers, as much as, the Committees of the Executive Board, which, according to the Statutes of the Federation, are the following:
1. Regulations Committee
2. International Relations Committee
3. Technical Committee
4. Greek Cup Committee
5. Procurements Committee
6. Divisions Committee
7. Selections Team Committee
8. Mass Media and Public Relations Committee
9. Legal Matters Committee
10. Violence Committee
11. Medical Committee
12. International Amateur Football Committee
13. Amateur Football Committee
14. Licensing Committee
15. Football Managers Committee
16. Training Board
17. Futsal (indoor football) Committee
18. Finance Committee
19. Statistics and Stadium Committee
20. Youth Amateur Football Committee
21. Women's Football Committee
The H.F.F. is responsible for doping control in all the Greek championships. [ citation needed ]
Below are the presidents of HFF: [9]
|
|
The incident first came to light after UEFA issued a report, [10] which drew attention to 40 matches that were rigged in Greek football in the 2009–10 season. [11] The initial probe into the incident involved approximately 80 individuals suspected of wrongdoing. Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis was also accused [12] of using his position in Greek football and special relationship with the president of the HFF, to appoint favorable referees to matches. [13] [14] Marinakis was later acquitted from all charges by the Prosecutor [15] and the Council of Judges [16] and the decision is final. [17]
In February 2012, the Superleague Greece, with the agreement of the HFF, replaced the two football prosecutors (Fakos and Antonakakis) with two others (Petropoulos and Karras). [18]
The 2015 Greek football scandal emerged on 6 April 2015 when prosecutor Aristidis Korreas' 173-page work was revealed. Telephone tapping operated by the National Intelligence Service of Greece since 2011 has played a significant role in the case. [19] According to the prosecutor's conclusion, Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis along with HFF members Theodoros Kouridis and Georgios Sarris, were suspected of directing a criminal organization since 2011. The goal behind their scheme was allegedly to "absolutely control Greek football's fate by the methods of blackmailing and fraud", [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] exploiting the self-governing ("autonomy") status of national football federations promoted by FIFA and UEFA. In 2016, a temporary administration was placed by FIFA. On 28 December 2017 a new president was elected Evangelos Grammenos with the support of Savvidis and Melissanidis . [26] [27]
On January 28, 2021, the three-member Criminal Court of Appeals acquitted the leader of Olympiacos, Vangelis Marinakis, of all the charges against him in the trial of 28. The same happened with all the defendants in the case. [28] [29] After a thorough analysis of all the elements of the investigation, from the testimony of the witnesses (and the contradictions they encountered) and from the rejection of the pre-investigation conclusion by the lawyers of the accused, the court decided to reject all the accusations. A case that lasted almost six years and occupied Greek football, tarnishing reputations, has now been closed definitively and irrevocably. [30]
The HFF has also been subject to allegations of other crimes, including blackmail and tax evasion. In November 2013, a team of prosecutors raided the headquarters of the HFF to find evidence of illegal activity. [31] [32] There have been allegations some of the teams have failed to pay their taxes by submitting fake documents.
Since 2015, the HFF has also been under judicial investigation regarding the existence of a "pyramid's economic scheme" in the Greek referees' society. [33] [34] [35]
Giorgos Girzikis, ex-president of the HFF, is also under penal prosecution for three felony economic crimes. [36] [37]
In March 2019, the ex-presidents of HFF, Vasilis Gagatsis, Sofoklis Pilavios and Giorgos Girtzikis were found guilty by the Greek courts for economic crimes. [38]
PAOK FC, commonly known as PAOK Thessaloniki or simply PAOK, is a Greek professional football club based in Thessaloniki, Macedonia. PAOK are one of the top domestic clubs, the most widely supported in Northern Greece and with the 3rd largest fanbase in the country, according to the latest polls and researches. A research by Marca in August 2018, reported that PAOK are the most popular Greek football team on social media.
Olympiacos Sindesmos Filathlon Pireos is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number of different competitive departments which participate in football, basketball, volleyball, water polo, handball, athletics, swimming, table tennis and boxing amongst many others—and have won numerous european and domestic titles over the club's history.
Panathinaikos Football Club, known as Panathinaikos, or by its full name, and the name of its parent sports club, Panathinaikos A.O. or PAO, is a Greek professional football club based in the capital-city of Athens, Greece.
Olympiacos Football Club, also known simply as Olympiacos, Olympiacos Piraeus or with its full name as Olympiacos C.F.P., is a Greek professional football club based in Piraeus, Attica. Part of the major multi-sport club Olympiacos CFP, their name was inspired from the ancient Olympic Games and along with the club's emblem, the laurel-crowned Olympic athlete, symbolize the Olympic ideals of ancient Greece. Their home ground is the Karaiskakis Stadium, a 32,115-capacity stadium in Piraeus.
The Super League Greece 1, or Super League 1 Interwetten for sponsorship reasons, is the highest professional association football league in Greece. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and replaced Alpha Ethniki at the top of the Greek football league system. It consists of 14 teams and runs from August to May, with teams playing 26 games each followed by a 10-game play-off to decide the champions.
Vasilis Torosidis is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a right-back.
The 2005–06 Greek Football Cup was the 64th edition of the Greek Football Cup, competition. This season's edition was the first to be entitled "SINCO Greek Cup" after SINCO Insurance Brokers. The competition started on 20 August 2005 and concluded on 10 May 2006 with the Final, held at Pankritio Stadium. Olympiacos won the trophy with a 3-0 victory over AEK Athens.
Aris Thessaloniki Football Club or simply Aris FC or AFC is a Greek professional football club based in the city of Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Greece. Created in 1914 as Aris Thessaloniki Football Club, the club was a founding member of the Macedonian Football Clubs Association, as well as the Hellenic Football Federation. The colours of the club are golden/yellow, a dominant colour in the culture of Macedonia and reminiscent of the Byzantine heritage of Thessaloniki, and black. It is named after Ares, the ancient Olympian "God of War," associated also with courage and masculinity, whose image is portrayed on the club's logo as depicted in the Ludovisi Ares sculpture.
Giorgos Valerianos is a Greek professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Ionikos.
Koriopolis is the name given by the Greek press to a match fixing scandal in Greek football that came to light in June 2011. The investigation centres on offences that include illegal gambling, fraud, extortion and money laundering.
Evangelos Marinakis is a Greek media mogul, shipowner, lyricist and member of the Piraeus city council. He is the owner of the football clubs Olympiacos in Greece and Nottingham Forest in England.
Paraga in football is a popular expression in Greece that refers to the control of EPO by extra-institutional bodies, in the manipulation of matches by football players, selected Referee (football) and generally throughout the illegal activity around organizing the tournaments.
The 2014–15 season was Olympiacos's 56th consecutive season in the Super League Greece. Olympiacos also participated in the Greek Cup.
The 2014–15 season was AEL Kalloni's second season in the Super League Greece, the top flight of Greek football. They also participated in the Greek Cup, where they eliminated in the second round.
In season 2014–15, Veria will compete in the following competitions Super League and Greek Cup.
The 2015 Greek football scandal emerged on 6 April 2015 when prosecutor Aristidis Korreas' 173-page work was revealed. Telephone tapping operated by the National Intelligence Service of Greece since 2011 has played a significant role in the case. According to the prosecutor's conclusion, Olympiakos F.C. owner Evangelos Marinakis along with Greek Football Federation members Theodoros Kouridis, and Georgios Sarris are suspected of directing a criminal organization since 2011. The goal behind their scheme was to "absolutely control Greek football's fate by the methods of blackmailing and fraud", exploiting the self-governing ("autonomy") status of national football federations promoted by FIFA and UEFA. Referees, judges, football directors and chairmen are also involved in the scandal. All defendants were acquitted of all charges.
The 2015–16 Greek Football Cup was the 74th edition of the Greek Football Cup. A total of 34 clubs were accepted to enter. The competition commenced on 9 September 2015 with the Preliminary Round and was planned to conclude on 23 April 2016 with the Final, at the Olympic Stadium.
The 2016–17 season was Ergotelis' 87th season in existence and 1st season in the Gamma Ethniki, the third tier of the Greek football league system, after 14 years in which the club competed in professional competitions. Ergotelis also participated in the Gamma Ethniki Cup, a football competition cup in which only the clubs competing in one of the four groups of the Gamma Ethniki can participate. The season marked the beginning of a new era in the club's history, as the previous Football Club opened winding-up proceedings entering into liquidation, a process that allowed the parent sport club G.S. Ergotelis to form a new football department eligible to compete in the Gamma Ethniki under new leadership, free of the financial obligations of the previous administration. The club slogan for the season Ksekiname! literally translates to We begin!. The project was successful, as Ergotelis finished as Champions of Group 4, achieving instant promotion to the Football League, and professional divisions in general.
The 2020–21 Greek Cup was the 79th edition of the Greek Football Cup. It took place with the participation of the 14 clubs from the Super League 1, as there was no competitive action in the lower divisions until early January due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The HFF decided that the Cup would be held with the participation of teams only from the top-flight Super League, which was normally in progress. The winner of the Cup qualified for the 2021–22 Europa Conference League third qualifying round.
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| National teams | |
| League competitions |
|
| Cup competitions | |
| Miscellaneous | |
| League competitions |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Cup competitions | ||
| National teams | ||
| Summer Olympic Sports |
|  |
|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympic Sports |
| |
| Other IOC Recognised Sports |
| |
| Paralympics and Disabled Sports | ||
| Others Sports |
| |
