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12th Mar 2018

Greek football club owner invades pitch with gun to protest disallowed goal

The game was stopped as result

Oli Dugmore

The game was stopped as result

On Sunday a Greek top-flight match between PAOK Salonika and AEK Athens was abandoned after one of the club’s owners invaded the pitch with a gun.

With the scores level on 0-0, PAOK had an 89th-minute goal ruled offside that would’ve put them within two points of league leaders AEK.

https://twitter.com/FootballPersian/status/972970244275924994

PAOK President Ivan Savvidis stormed the pitch and tried to instruct his team to leave the field. He attempted to confront the referee with a gun in a hip holster before being pulled back by bodyguards.

AEK’s players left the pitch concerned for their safety and did not return.

Greek law requires a concealed-carry permit for the purchase of a handgun.