ATHENS, Greece The Greek government suspended play in allprofessional team sports for two weeks today after a fan was killedin a riot before a women s volleyball match.
The ban, which covers soccer, basketball, volleyball and othersports, will last until April 13.
A man was killed and seven others were hospitalized Thursday whenfans from rival women s volleyball clubs Panathinaikos Athens andOlympiakos Piraeus fought near Athens.
Violence in sport is something that affects our entire society ...and cannot be tolerated, government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulossaid today after an emergency cabinet meeting chaired by PrimeMinister Costas Karamanlis.
Roussopoulos also promised to tighten prison-sentencing laws forviolent fans, and introduce mandatory surveillance cameras at allmain soccer stadiums by 2008.
These crimes are not anonymous. Specific people are responsible, Roussopoulos said.
The suspension effectively will delay team games for a week, as itcoincides with a planned recess for the April 8 Orthodox Easterholiday.
The suspension follows a similar move in Italy following the Feb.2 killing of a policeman in rioting at a match between Sicilianrivals Catania and Palermo. The violence led to a weeklong suspensionof all soccer in Italy s top three divisions and to the closure ofstadiums
Greek sporting events have been plagued by fan violence for years.
The national soccer team is likely to face sanctions from UEFAfollowing Greece s 4-1 home loss to Turkey on Saturday in a EuropeanChampionship qualifier. Greek fans clashed among themselves and alsopelted Turkish players with sticks, coins and plastic water bottles.
In Thursday s clashes, several dozen fans on motorcycles clashedwith rival supporters, hurling petrol bombs and rocks. At least twocars and three stores were damaged, police said.
Eighteen youths were detained by police, 13 of whom were formallyarrested.
Police said a 25-year-old man died before reaching the hospital. Astate coroner said the man died of head injuries and had beenmurdered.
The clashes occurred before a volleyball Greek Cup match betweenPanathinaikos and Olympiakos.
Both clubs have major teams in soccer, basketball and othersports, and rival supporters in the past have clashed at varioussporting events.
Following the violence, police raided 15 supporters clubs ofOlympiakos and Panathinaikos, seizing dozens of makeshift weaponsincluding pick axes, iron bars and baseball bats.
Greece plays its next Euro 2008 soccer qualifier on June 2 againstHungary.
