At the basketball game in
Pionir between Partizan and FMP were also PAOK fans. Six of them
wanted to strengthen even more long-term
friendship between PAOK and Partizan fans.
What is the reason for your
coming at the Partizan game?
We came because these boys have never been so far at the Partizan
game. We all know about the friendship between PAOK and Partizan
fans and by coming to this game we wanted to make it even stronger.
So, this is your first visit
to Belgrade?
The first time especially at the game, but we have been in Belgrade
several times.
Six of you came, are you
members of PAOK fan groups?
A few of us are from Neapoli, and the rest are not in any group.
That is a group of about 30 people that are friends and they all
go to
the games together. We go mostly by train or car. Some of them were
members of the Gate 4, Stavrupoli (one of the biggest hooligan
groups – 50 guys, but their club is now closed), Northeners.
What is your impression of Belgrade?
Belgrade is a very nice city. People are by temperament similar
to Greek people in Thessaloniki. We have seen the whole city and
hope
to come again. We think that people are here very friendly and hospitable.
We hope that we would be good hosts to you when you come to Greece.
What is your impression
of Grobari?
They are crazy for their club. They talk about it all the time and
follow it everywhere. We think that beside all difficulties they
are one
of the best fans in Europe.
How do you see the continuation
of friendship between PAOK and Partizan fans?
We hope that the friendship will get stronger. We all want that.
Grobari are the only fans outside Greece that we want to be our
friends.
Those are in fact our only friends and we want it to stay like that.
The same colours, the same religion.
Does every PAOK fan feel
like this or it’s just an opinion of few of them?
All PAOK fans talk about it at the moment. When people heard that
we were coming to Belgrade, they all wanted to bring them some souvenirs
from Grobari. We think that friendship will be stronger in years.
Although it all began with individual contacts, and at that time
PAOK fans generally
liked Grobari.
In the end, one question about PAOK. Since you are in a
similar situation like us, you don’t go to the football games because
of the President of the Club, tell us something about the current
situation? What is your relationship with your President of the
Club?
Two years ago the club got a new president and we hoped that PAOK
would be again at the top of Greek football and that it would bring
back the title
to Thessaloniki. However, many things changed after qualification
game for the Champion League against Maccabi. We think that the
game was sold,
just as you think that Partizan sold its game against Maccabi. The
reason for that is that at the game played a player who was grounded
and did not
have right to play for PAOK. It is a very difficult situation now.
Two weeks ago, we entered into premises of the club and we did not
allow the President
and other employees to enter the club. Around 200 people slept in
the club, and about 2000 passed through the club daily. Other fans
helped as they could,
they brought food, drinks… We played football in the field, slept
in VIP rooms. However, 19.05. PAOK fans left the premises. Since
the championship was over,
we decided to expand the protests in the streets of Thessaloniki
and in front of the President’s house. We want the club to be sold,
but we do not believe it
would happen soon.
(Στα
ελληνικά)