[Serenita]

Giorgos Katidis Banned From Greek National Soccer Team For Life For Giving Nazi Salute




ATHENS, Greece — Greek soccer player Giorgos Katidis has been banned from his national team for life after giving a Nazi salute while celebrating a goal in the topflight league.
Greece's soccer federation said Sunday in a statement that the AEK Athens midfielder's gesture "is a deep insult to all victims of Nazi brutality."
The 20-year-old Katidis gave a Nazi salute after scoring the go-ahead goal Saturday in AEK's 2-1 victory over Veria in the Greek league. He pleaded ignorance of the meaning of his gesture – right arm extended and hand straightened. He claimed on his Twitter account that he detests fascism.
AEK and the Greek league are considering separate sanctions. AEK fans have demanded Katidis' dismissal from the team.
Katidis has played for Greek national junior teams but not the senior side.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...n_2895619.html
Should be banned from competition also.

[Helen Lawson]

Seems like a harsh result if it was a mistake. Anyone ever heard of second chances?

[shap_half]

I believe in second chances, but unless he didn't go to school, I doubt he didn't know what that gesture means.

Having said that, he could have received much harsher punishment considering national games make up such a small percentage of a footballer's life even if winning a major tournament with your national team is the biggest, most renowned achievement in the sport.

[pierce85]

The irony is that the team he plays for AEK athens is a team symbol of the greek refugees from Asia minor and the team's fans detest him now. They official fan club "Original" made a pretty harsh statement that for them he is " dead" commenting on his lifestyle and choices

[PhilePhile]

[azdaja]

aren't aek fans generally left-leaning, especially given that they are friends with fans of livorno? he will probably get kicked out of aek as well.

he should go to lazio, the fans would love him there

[pov]

IMO it's ridiculous to take such steps. I'd support finding out why he made it and if he had other reasons giving him the opportunity to make a public apology (including an explanation).

The 20-year-old, who was lambasted on Twitter and Facebook by angry supporters, claimed he didn’t know what the salute implied and insisted he would never had done it if he had known.

‘I am not a fascist and would not have done it if I had known what it meant,’ Katidis tweeted.

‘He is a young kid who does not have any political ideas,’ insisted Lienen. ‘He most likely saw such a salute on the internet or somewhere else and did it without knowing what it means.

‘I am 100 per cent sure Giorgos did not know what he did. He was crying in the dressing room seeing the reaction.’

I believe he really had no intention of doing a "Nazi salute" which, interestingly enough, was first used by fascists in Spain. In fact some Nazis opposed it because it was already in use in Spain.

[Wert.]

its not like he was some important player or something anyway


overreacting though

N.

[Nicolás89]

Him knowing or not what it meant is irrelevant, is the action of what is being punished IMHO.

[Chris 84]

AEK's fans are some of the most left-leaning fans in the world. anti-racist, anti-fascist, they'll chase him out of athens and deservedly so.

if he really, truly didn't know what he was doing, he should be kicked out purely for ignorance

[Start da Game]

discovered a new way to retire......that's it......

[currie84]

Originally Posted by Chris 84

AEK's fans are some of the most left-leaning fans in the world. anti-racist, anti-fascist, they'll chase him out of athens and deservedly so.

if he really, truly didn't know what he was doing, he should be kicked out purely for ignorance

that's not true,no club in greece is really politicized like Livorno for example.

Anyway this kid is just dumb,really,he got a history of idiotic actions(fights with coaches,fans etc).He propably saw a youtube video of golden dawn and thought that was cool to do the salute,i dont think he even comprehends Fascism.It's not the case of a self proclaimed fascist like DiCanio,just an idiot teenager.

[*JR*]

Originally Posted by azdaja

aren't aek fans generally left-leaning, especially given that they are friends with fans of livorno? he will probably get kicked out of aek as well.

he should go to lazio, the fans would love him there

Or wherever their former star Paolo DiCanio coaches next.

[The Italian striker was suspended for one match and fined 10,000 euros by the Italian FA after making a fascist salute while playing for Lazio against Juventus in 2005. Far from chastened, Di Canio, who calls himself "a fascist not a racist", said he would "always salute as I did because it gives me a sense of belonging to my people." The player, who has a tattoo with Mussolini's initials on his arm, is a hit with far-right ultras groups across Europe.]

[hablo]

I see the apologists are out.

And this is why some of us didn't condone Dominic's actions re: Serena in the past. Ignorance is no excuse.

[Punky]

i doubt he didnt know, come on ppl are not stupid.

BUT i think its harsh, let him lecture about it or something but a life time ban?