ATHENS – Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Monday chaired a meeting focusing on violence in sports, with the participation of Deputy Sports Minister Lefteris Avgenakis, Public Order and Citizen Protection Minister Takis Theodorikakos and Justice Minister Kostas Tsiaras.

The meeting decided on initiatives acting on three levels: an even stricter legislative framework regarding the operation of supporters associations and groups; making necessary changes to the penal code; and stricter control by the police.

Outlining the outcome of the meeting and the steps taken to deal with sports-related violence, government spokesperson Yiannis Economou noted that the Hellenic Police had acted very quickly to solve the horrific murder of the 19-year-old in Thessaloniki, finding and arresting nine of the 11 suspects.

He also referred in detail to the legislation passed by the sports ministry in 2019 and 2021 to help control such phenomena.

Commenting on the Monday morning meeting, he said that it was the prime minister’s steadfast intention to continue the effort through actions and without “pompous announcements” to arrive at a greater restriction of sports-linked violence.

At the same time, he added, there will be changes in the way that the Greek football federation is run, with legislative measures that will be tabled in Parliament in the coming weeks.

“Very significant steps have been taken in the last two years. The government will continue in this direction and we expect everyone to assist the Greek state in the effort to eradicate sports violence. It is, after all, a matter that unites us all,” Economou added.