© EuroFootball.com
FIFA temporarily removed the European champion Greece and the national team of this country from international tournaments due to government interference in sports. FIFA made this decision based on a new law of the Greek professional football leagues, which provides opportunities for the government to interfere in football matters.
The main World Football organization claims that the Greek Football Federation (HFF) broke the rule of "members' independence and free decision-making in their country." According to FIFA's statement, the suspension takes effect immediately and will remain in place until further notice.
HFF representative Michalis Tsapidisas stated that the federation is shocked by this verdict: "We did not expect this. On Tuesday afternoon, we called for an urgent press conference at our headquarters, where President Vasilis Gagatsis will present our reaction and further plans."
FIFA added that several warnings had been issued to the Greek Football Federation and requested assurance that by July 15th football management in the country would be completely free from political activities, but no response was received.
It is possible that due to the suspension, on August 16th Greeks may not be able to play friendly matches against the England team, which by then will already be led by Steve McClaren, who replaced Sven-Goran Eriksson as the head coach.
Due to the suspension, Athens "AEK," Piraeus "Olympiacos," and Athens "Panathinaikos" clubs may lose the opportunity to participate in the Champions League and UEFA Cup next season.
