Olympiakos v Burnley

[Edrahill]

Edra
Your owner seems to have had a few scrapes with the law. What’s happened about this from earlier this year?

Marinakis was charged with trafficking heroin by public prosecutor Irene Tziva. The accusations against Marinakis were described as "very serious charges" following a three-year investigation after the tanker Noor One was intercepted at the Greek port of Piraeus carrying 2.1 tonnes of heroin in 2014. He has also been charged with financing an illegal operation

This is a really long story and also difficult to explain in a forum. I 'll try my best. In order to understand the situation here, there are 4 big teams in Greek football. Olympiakos, PAOK(last 10 years), AEK and Panathinaikos. Each of them have as owners very wealthy guys with huge influence in Greek society and dark stories on the background. Marinakis is a shipping colossus with many companies, one of them in England's stock exchange, AEK's Melissanidis who has the main bet company, AEGEAN airlines and an oil company, Savvidis(PAOK owner with a huge influence on Putin) who has recently come to Greece and have many activities in economy,and Panathinaikos' Alafouzos who has one of the biggest Tv and Radio station in Greece. Marinakis bought Olympiakos, 10 years ago, and since then Olympiakos was really unbeatable winning 8 championships with Marinakis spending a huge amount of money bringing in many well-known and good players. In Greece, although we as people have many good characteristics(hospitality, joy, very good education, helpfullnes and much more) we have a huge flaw. Whenever sth bad happens it's always somebody else's fault. So, all the over-mentioned teams and their supporters claimed that Olympiakos gained the championships by binding referees and opposing teams. Marinakis was accused of many charges for fixed matches by the other owners(who openly declared their co-operation). In all of that 5 months Marinakis and Olympiakos was found innocent. This was the iincident in which Marinakis was accused of being leader of illegal operation, that fixed match. So he was found innocent on that.
Now about the trafficking incident: As I said these people have a huge influence in Greece. They openly support political groups. Savvidis openly suppot government while Marinakis and Alafouzos(whose tv and radio station is full of propaganda) is against the government and support the opposing political group. So many of these stories have been published. Marinakis trafficking, Savvidis accused as a weapon and ciggarete smuggler etc. No one knows if any of those accusations is based on true events and clues. But to understand why all those stories are suspicious, this Irene Tziva Is the sister in law of Panos Kammenos, one the government's leaders.

In my opinion , I believe that almost all of the world's most wealthy people have sth to do with illegal operations, so nothing shocks me..

[oldcolner]

Thanks edra
Very informative and interesting.
Are things improving in Greece economically now for ordinary people, it seemed dire 10 years ago.

[oldcolner]

Thanks edra
Are things improving in Greece economically now for ordinary people, it seemed dire 10 years ago.

BBC article suggests not

On Monday, Greece ends its third and final financial bailout programme, having received more than €300bn (£269bn; $342bn) over eight years.
The government and its European lenders are keen to paint the end of the last bailout as a good thing, having avoided a "Grexit" in which the country would have crashed out of the eurozone into unknown territory.
But for many Greeks - especially the young - the damage has already been done.

Greece's unemployment rate peaked at 27.5% in 2013 - but for those under 25, it was more than double that, at 58%.
Last year, more than four in every 10 young Greeks were still jobless.

Between 2008 and 2016 the country lost almost 4% of its citizens to emigration - more than 400,000 people. And while Greece didn't record the ages of those emigrating, the country is getting older.
The average (median) age has jumped by more than four years since 2008; and while those aged 20 to 39 used to make up 29% of the population, that's fallen to just 24%.



https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-45207092

[oldcolner]

Olympiakos have only played Europa League so far as their 30 game Superligue season starts next Sunday v Levadiakos.
They drew 0-0 with la Liga side Leganes (TM value £74.5m) in a pre season friendly and Swiss side Lucerne TM value £21m in round 3

[oldcolner]

Mind games or a dodgy pitch

Burnley will train away from Olympiakos' Karaiskakis Stadium tonight as they prepare for their Europa League play-off tie in Athens.

The visiting team normally get to train at the home team's ground the night before European fixtures but the Clarets have been told to train elsewhere.

Sean Dyche and his players will visit the ground on Wednesday afternoon for a look around and to speak to the media, but they will then make the short trip to the Nea Smyrni Stadium - home of Greek Super League side Panionios - to train.

[oldcolner]

Burnley manager Sean Dyche says Olympiakos' pitch is "not great" but insisted he was not worried about it.

Burnley trained at an alternative venue, the Panionios' Nea Smyrni Stadium, to give the surface at the Karaiskakis Stadium as much protection as possible for the first leg of their Europa League play-off on Thursday.

Olympiakos were granted special dispensation by UEFA over the pitch which has been described as "dry" and "patchy".

[oldcolner]

BBC previewOlympiakos have lost just one of their 10 games in Uefa Cup/Europa League qualifying, winning nine of those, including both games in 2018-19 (4-0 and 3-1 v FC Luzern).
On home soil, Olympiakos have a 100% records in Uefa Cup/Europa League qualifying, winning their five games by an aggregate score of 15-3.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45278531

[mrabih]

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[Altobelli]

I must have missed Lennon coming on for Ward, now that's a strange.

[Altobelli]

Been some strange decision's tonight Seldom