Panathinaikos pair facing trial
Monday, January 27, 2003
Article summary
The coach and president of Panathinaikos FC are to face trial in connection with the assault of a referee.
Article body
The coach and president of Greek league leaders Panathinaikos FC are to face trial in connection with the assault of a referee last year.
Four on trial
The Athens court of misdemeanour will try club president Angelos Phillipides, coach Sergio Markarian and two other staff members for assault and slander. No trial date has been set for the four.
Derby clash
One club supporter also faces a charge of grievous bodily harm, meanwhile, and two others are accused of assault and slander. The charges relate to incidents that followed the end of an Athens derby match last March against Olympiakos Piraeus FC that left referee Ioakeim Efthymiadis in hospital.
Referee injured
The game finished 1-1 after Efthymiadis awarded a 93rd-minute penalty to Olympiakos and he was injured in a scuffle when supporters invaded the pitch after the match.
Suspensions for both
Phillipides was later suspended from his role as club president for one year while Markarian was given a two-month touchline ban. The Uruguayan coach quit Panathinaikos last May but returned in October after a poor start under Portuguese replacement Fernando Santos. The Athens club currently top the Alpha Ethniki with a two-point lead over Olympiakos.