Giannis Brutsis had a historic meeting with representatives of the eight legitimate Fan Clubs

Representatives of AEKs, Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, PAOK, Mars, Hercules, OFI and Panseraikos, sat at the same table as the Minister of Sports, at a historic meeting. For the first time, the representatives of the eight Fan Clubs, operating legally for the 2024-2025 season, passed through the door of the Ministry of Sports and had an institutional meeting with the Deputy Minister of Sports, Giannis Brutsis, in the presence of G.G.A., George Mavrota, and service agents. The eight legitimate Fan Clubs, for which – as provided by Law 5085/2024 – consented to the respective FCs (AEKs, Mars, Olympiacos, OFI, Panathinaikos, Panseraikos, PAOK) and amateur Hercules, had a discussion with Mr. Brutsis about issues that concern their Clubs and football in general. “This is a historic day. The heart of football beats in the office of the Minister of Sports, and that is because people who really represent their teams are here with love, support them and want to see them high. We all put together today the roots for football that we want, a football open to everyone and attractive to every citizen of the country, with peaceful coexistence, away from violence and pathogens, which throughout the years have kept families and groups outside the stadiums. Our goal is to fill the stadiums, even in derby, with fans of both teams struggling. It is a possible goal and in this direction we take careful steps with responsibility! It is the common desire of all people who love football and I am optimistic that we will succeed,” Mr. Brutsis’s first statements immediately after the meeting. The Deputy Minister of Sports also highlighted the prospects opened with the new era in the relations of the Fan Clubs, both between them and the athletic political leadership: “Today we are making a new start for the future, with the aim of having a Panhellenic Federation of Fans Clubs, which will make decisions directly. We will form a common framework for social, sports for each group individually and for all of them, with the ultimate aim of being represented in Europe, in the Federation of Clubs, where unfortunately to this day our country has abstained. A Federation with the cooperation of all, which will further enshrine fans’ rights and reverse the negative image society has of organized fans. I am sure that today’s historic meeting will bear fruit.” The Secretary-General for Sport, George Mavrotos, referred to the Saint Denis Convention of the Council of Europe for a “a holistic approach to safety, protection and service in sporting events”, which places great emphasis on the cooperation of the Authorities with organized fans. For their part, the representatives of the eight Clubs congratulated the excellent cooperation with the Ministry of Sports and the Ministry of Digital Governance for the operation of the “Digital Register of Fan Club Members”, which is accessible via gov.gr and directly at https://milefi.apps.gov.gr. It now lists members of the Clubs Fans of sports clubs, the Departments of Paid Athletes (TAA), the Anonymous Sports Companies (AAE) and their legal annexes. They referred to issues that concern them, such as the establishment of annexes to each Regional Unit, the new way of digital identification for entering the stadiums, organized movements, the specific name, the limitation of a Club per group emblem, etc. Mr. Brutsis gave each club a football ball with the names of all the Clubs, as a sign of reconciliation and fond co-existence, while everyone exchanged banners of their teams. On behalf of the eight Clubs of Fans participated: George Katsadimas, president of the Club of Fans and Friends AEK “Genuine Door 21-1975 (Original 21-1982)”. Panagiotis Mastrothymios, representative of the Club of Friends A.S. Aris Thessaloniki. Kostas Kamanas, president of the Hercules Fan Club “Autonomous Door 10”. Stathis Fragoulis, president of the Olympiacos Friends Club “Door 7”. Christos Vidalis, secretary general of the O.F. Fan Club. H. “Snakes Door 4 1986 Central”. Christos Gounaris, Vice President of the Panhellenic Club of Friends Panathinaikos “PA. LE. FI. P”. Giannis Kadis, president of the Panseraikos Fan Club “Che Guevara”. Elias Gindis, representative of the Friends Club A.S. PAOK.