Greek player banned from International football for life over Nazi salute

Seans_Username

Link with video
Edit: Thread title changed. Twice

AEK Athens midfielder Giorgos Katidis has been handed a life ban from all national teams by Greece's FA after he appeared to give a Nazi salute to supporters during a match.

"The player's action to salute to spectators in a Nazi manner is a severe provocation, insults all the victims of Nazi bestiality and injures the deeply pacifist and human character of the game," the Greek FA said in statement.

His side of the story

The player said he was simply pointing at Michalis Pavlis in the stands to dedicate the goal to his team mate as he continues to fight health problems.
"He is a young kid who does not have any political ideas. He most likely saw such a salute on the Internet or somewhere else and did it without knowing what it means," AEK's coach Ewald Lienen said.
"I am 100 percent sure Giorgos did not know what he did. He was crying in the dressing room seeing the reaction."

Not quite sure what to make of this. I can't remember hearing a story like this before.
I find it hard to believe that he did it because he seen it without knowing what it means. At one stage or another he had to have come across the Nazi's and what they did. And that image above certainly doesn't seem to back up the pointing to someone in the crowd.

AdamD

Does he actually have a tattoo saying 'get rich or die trying'?

Jesus Christ.

The_Kew_Tour

Di Canio part 2

Cantona's Collars

AdamD wrote: »

Does he actually have a tattoo saying 'get rich or die trying'?

Jesus Christ.

Being from Greece he'll die trying as the getting rich bit is long gone for Greeks.

losthorizon

As someone who watches Euronews fairly often its been interesting to note the rise of fascism in Greece particularly in the shape of the Golden Dawn party.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Dawn_(Greece)

Its hard to imagine that he didnt know what he was doing.

Remember Greece was invaded by the Nazis during the war and suffered a lot.

Maybe it will serve as a warning to others.

ArmaniJeanss

Thread title is incredibly misleading.

Pudsy33

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

Thread title is incredibly misleading.

How so? He made a Nazi salute, and is now banned for life.

Mars Bar

Pudsy33 wrote: »

How so? He made a Nazi salute, and is now banned for life.

From national team football. Not from football.

Allyall

He's definitely not pointing at somebody in the crowd..
Silly man. He's only 19/20? He'll deeply, deeply regret that in a few years, for the right reasons.
He probably regrets it now for the wrong reasons.
As far as i can make out, he's only been handed a ban in Greece? He may still play in Turkey/Italy etc.. Racism is day to day stuff there.

Maire2009

He didn't know what it meant ... and he did it twice!!

Seans_Username

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

Thread title is incredibly misleading.

Hardly incredibly misleading now. It's not like I linked a story about a dragon flying to the moon.

He was been banned for life over the Nazi salute. Might be only Greek football but a life ban is still enough of a talking point. I changed it anyhow.

blahfckingblah

he might try use the old "red hand of ulster salute" line

ArmaniJeanss

Seans_Username wrote: »

Hardly incredibly misleading now. It's not like I linked a story about a dragon flying to the moon.

He was been banned for life over the Nazi salute. Might be only Greek football but a life ban is still enough of a talking point. I changed it anyhow.

You've managed to reduce it to 'mildly' misleading with your last update.
But still wrong seeing as he is not banned from Greek football, merely the national teams.

roanoke

Allyall wrote: »

As far as i can make out, he's only been handed a ban in Greece? He may still play in Turkey/Italy etc.. Racism is day to day stuff there.

I understood it differently, that he's only banned from playing for Greece national team at all age levels? This would appear to not affect him playing for AEK or other Greek clubs?

I'm only going by this sentence in the opening post though...

AEK Athens midfielder Giorgos Katidis has been handed a life ban from all national teams by Greece's FA after he appeared to give a Nazi salute to supporters during a match.

Seans_Username

roanoke wrote: »

I understood it differently, that he's only banned from playing for Greece national team at all age levels? This would appear to not affect him playing for AEK or other Greek clubs?

I'm only going by this sentence in the opening post though...

The Independent says

A young Greek footballer has been banned from all levels of international football after celebrating a goal with what appears to be a fascist salute

When it says "life ban from all national teams by Greece's FA" I thought it meant a ban from football in Greece. My mistake

Galvasean

I don't buy for a second that an adult human living in Europe could not know what a Nazi salute is.

Allyall

Galvasean wrote: »

I don't buy for a second that an adult human living in Europe could not know what a Nazi salute is.

I would've agreed with you a while ago. But the amount of stupidity/ignorance that seems to be rife in the world is unbelievable..

For a 20 year old to not know what it means, seems unbelievable to me, but There's a 69 year old Millionaire after pretending to be kidnapped for 8 months eating scraps and growing his fingernails/hair and not washing, thinking that the Garda wouldn't investigate it... :pac:

I just mean, there are stupider people around, that make his story possible..

Harry Deerpark

What happened to freedom of expression? Making such a gesture doesn't automatically mean you advocate the slaughter of 6 million Jews and 5 million miscellaneous groups of people.

You can't keep punishing people for something the Nazis did in the past, otherwise, you might as well punish people for dressing up as Roman legions because they've slaughtered Jews too. Hell, look at the British, they've committed genocide more than any empire has and people are still allowed to fly the British flag.

P.C. nonsense.

adox

Harry Deerpark wrote: »

P.C. nonsense.

What?????????????????:eek::eek::eek:

losthorizon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yPl6PX9WoU

Employers now often contact Golden Dawn to beat up employees if they ask for a rise or for benefits or money they are entitled to.


They are quite strong in Athens. No matter how young or naive this fellow is he must be aware of what he was doing. Hes probably a hero in a lot of peoples eyes for doing it now sadly. Thats the way Europe is going.

KCAccidental

Allyall wrote: »

I would've agreed with you a while ago. But the amount of stupidity/ignorance that seems to be rife in the world is unbelievable..

For a 20 year old to not know what it means, seems unbelievable to me, but There's a 69 year old Millionaire after pretending to be kidnapped for 8 months eating scraps and growing his fingernails/hair and not washing, thinking that the Garda wouldn't investigate it... :pac:

I just mean, there are stupider people around, that make his story possible..

a fair point, but the fact that this happened in Greece makes it all the more unlikely that he didn't know what he was doing.

Golden Dawn are very visible on the streets and in the media there especially in Athens and they dont shy away from fascist iconography such as the salute etc.

Lawrence1895

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Di Canio part 2

Didn't he call it a 'Traditional Roman Salute'?

Honestly, I guess, in every school in every country, kids learn the meaning of that salute...so that guy knew what he was doing, unless he skipped school.

TaosHum

Didn't Mark Bosnich make a Nazi salute to Spurs fans years ago? Got only a slap on the wrist as far as I remember.

Lifetime ban seems harsh, although its an incredibly stupid thing to do.

NIMAN

'Footballer in stupid act' shocker

Wolf Club

I'm not suggesting they are Nazi's but van Persie and Gervinho have both celebrated goals in a very similar fashion in recent times. Maybe I'm completely missing something here, but is this any worse?

chopperbyrne

Sure Shearer was always at it!

KCAccidental

Wolf Club wrote: »

I'm not suggesting they are Nazi's but van Persie and Gervinho have both celebrated goals in a very similar fashion in recent times. Maybe I'm completely missing something here, but is this any worse?

context, Van Persie and Gervinho were doing a brushing off of the shoulder. It did look pretty similar though.

there was none of that with this lad and given the political situation in Greece it adds another dimension

Charisteas

Extremely harsh punishment for Katidis. For doing what, expressing his political views? As far as I know, the Nazi salute is only illegal in Germany. So technically he didn't even commit a crime.

Have to say though - awesome tattoo's on that lad.

Greek authorities are really clamping down on this behaviour though, Voula Papachristou was kicked out of the Greek women's Olympic triple jump team for simply expressing her political belief's on twitter.

The Olympic Games' ratings really dropped after she was banned.

CSF

Certain political beliefs shouldn't be given the platform to spread.

KCAccidental

CSF wrote: »

Certain political beliefs shouldn't be given the platform to spread.

especially one that was responsible for the deaths of thousands of his countrymen and even players who wore the shirt he was wearing in the past.

Aidric

losthorizon wrote: »

Thats the way Europe is going.

:rolleyes:

Charisteas

Charisteas wrote: »

Extremely harsh punishment for Katidis. For doing what, expressing his political views? As far as I know, the Nazi salute is only illegal in Germany. So technically he didn't even commit a crime.

Have to say though - awesome tattoo's on that lad.

Greek authorities are really clamping down on this behaviour though, Voula Papachristou was kicked out of the Greek women's Olympic triple jump team for simply expressing her political belief's on twitter.

The Olympic Games' ratings really dropped after she was banned.

"Get rich or die trying"

Charisteas

As a further update to this story, today AEK banned him for the rest of the season.