B.J. Hoeptner Evans
Manager, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: 719-228-6800
BJ.Evans@USAV.org
ANAHEIM, Calif . (April 17, 2007) -- Some U.S. volleyball athletes playing overseas got a front-row seat to a Greek drama over the last two weeks as all team sports in Greece were cancelled after a mass brawl between rival women's volleyball teams left one fan dead.
According to the Associated Press, Michalis Filopoulos, 25, died March 29 and seven others were hospitalized -- mostly with stab wounds -- after fans from rival Panathinaikos Athens and Olympiakos Piraeus clashed near Athens.
The suspension, which covered soccer, basketball, volleyball and other sports, remained in effect from March 30 until April 13, although only a week of actual competition was cancelled due to a weeklong recess for the Easter holiday.
Reid Priddy, an outside hitter on the U.S. Men's National Team from Newport Beach, Calif., plays for the Olympiakos men's volleyball team. He had only been part of the team for a little over a month when the riot occurred and play was stopped.
"My reactions... just surprised that the beef between these two groups has reached such proportions," Priddy said in an e-mail from Greece.
Paul Muñoz, a libero from Huntington Beach, Calif., who played with the U.S. Men's National Training Team, now plays for G.S. Lamia, another Greek club team.
"Well, like everyone else, I couldn't believe what had happened. I haven't heard of anything like this happening in my life, let alone, happen in the sport of volleyball," Muñoz wrote in an e-mail.
"Once I heard the news, I had talked to a couple of Greek people and everyone is in agreement that these 'hooligans' aren't acting in favor of the sport, but rather out of despite of the rival fans."
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Greek government officials also said that the violence is related to specific fans and not volleyball or soccer fans in general.
"Violence in sport is something that affects our entire society... and cannot be tolerated," government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos said March 30 after an emergency cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis.
"These crimes are not anonymous. Specific people are responsible," Roussopoulos said.
Kevin Hansen, a U.S. Men's National Team setter from Newport Beach, Calif., plays for PAOK in Greece. He has witnessed the violence surrounding Greek sports firsthand.
"I saw a men's volleyball game between two local teams here in Thessaloniki," Hansen wrote in an e-mail. "After the match, the 'hooligans', as they are called, from one of the teams stormed the gymnasium and threw flares and other objects at spectators as they exited. Every single car window in the parking lot was smashed and luckily the police were there to catch them."
Priddy said that there was plenty of security at his first match following the work stoppage and for good reason. Olympiakos was facing Panathinaikos again.
"After the two-week break, we played Panathinaikos at home and the police/SWAT presence was unbelievable," Priddy said. "We played at our home, so no Panathinaikos fans were allowed to come. The stands of the normal public were empty due to fear that retribution was going to be sought. But it was relatively calm."
Meanwhile, the Greek government hopes that new safety and law enforcement measures continue to keep all sports fans safe.
United States players who have completed transfers to compete in Greece this season include: Gray Garrett (Orestiada); Kevin Hansen (PAOK); Paul Munoz (G.S. Lamia); Pieter Olree (Iraklis); Ryan Owens (M.G.S. Ethnikos Alexandropolis); Reid Priddy (OlympiakosS.C.); Nick Scheftic (PAOK); Curt Toppel (Alexandroupolis); Scott Touzinsky (EA Patras).
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