Michael Filopoulos: 17 years since the “death date” in Paiania and his murder

One day today, March 29, 2007, 22-year-old Michael Filopoulos falls dead from stab wounds in a fight in . Paiania’s “death date” between Olympiacos fans and Panathinaikos had been closed many days before March 29, 2007. Form stood a women’s volleyball match between the two teams. It has been 17 years since Panathinaikos Michalis Filopoulos’s fan fell dead after serious incidents on Lavrio Avenue. That day he was about to write a black page. In the bloody encounters of fans of the “eternals”, Olympiacos fans stabbed and beaten Michael Filopoulos and the scene was also recorded by a mobile phone camera. His death caused great inconvenience in Greece and sparked a major police investigation into the role of organized group followers. The volleyball match, the “death date” and the Philopoulos murder A volleyball game between the women’s teams of Panathinaikos and Olympiacos was scheduled to take place on 29 March 2007 in Paiania, for the Greek volleyball cup. Since this was a women’s struggle, the police force was not strong so fans of both teams made an appointment for a large-scale conflict, spreading the place and time through their links and websites. As it became known, at least 400 people knew about this “death date” in Paiania. On 29 March 2007, Olympiacos fans first gathered in Peristeri and Panathinaikos fans in Halandri. From there, motorcycle escort teams were formed in Paiania. Michael Filopoulos, a 22-year-old Panathinaikos fan, received two direct hits with iron on his head and fell to the ground. Olympiacos fans continued to beat him in the head and body, but also stab him in the thighs. When he was stationed at the CSD, it was too late. “Bront craniocerebral injury from a blunt-forced wound caused and injuries to the head and thighs by a nysson if and intersecting organ” was the coroner’s finding. The moments after the attack were recorded by a mobile camera, with the video being spread and even published on YouTube. A major police operation followed to identify and arrest guilty. Invasions were made on many of the organized pavilions associations of both teams and weapons and drugs were seized, molotov, knives, baseball bats, slings, metal chains. Police were able to gather evidence of the participation of 28 people from both teams on the death appointment in Paiania. In May 2007 nine people were charged with the homicide of Philopoulos. Four people were found guilty of Philopoulos’ death by the Five-member Court of Appeals. Christos Sakatis, who was sentenced to 16 years for manslaughter intentionally, Vassilis Roubetis, 12 years in prison, and Nikos Vayopoulos and Vassilis Psyakos, 10 years in prison. They were all recognized in extenuatingly, either in the past honest life, or in the reduced rate due to drug addiction. Today all defendants are out of jail. “The guilty of the murder of Michael are out and enjoying their lives. But I go to the cemetery every day to light his canister. I can’t see other deaths, other fan deaths, deaths for nothing” Michael Philopoulos’ father, Andreas, said, talking to ERT. He still noted that pain never goes away. To the question whether there are guides behind the death ambushes he answered categorically: “There are instigators and guides and agree before they do, in the case of Michael there was a preconciliation on where and how the fight will take place.” After the death of the wrongful Michael Filopoulos, all group sports events in Greece were discontinued from 29 March to 12 April. The Ministry of Sports then closed all links and allowed the opening of some of them only after strict identity checks and background checks of its members. There was still an initiative to install surveillance cameras at all stages and to impose even stricter sanctions.