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The Greek government has scaled back its suspension of professional football in the country, which will now only include the top-flight Super League and will last for one week. On Wednesday, it had been announced that all professional football in the country was suspended indefinitely due to recent incidents of violence both at Sunday's match between Olympiakos and Panathinaikos, as well as a brawl between club officials at a meeting on Tuesday. After a further meeting between prime minister Alexis Tsipras and deputy minister for sports Stavros Kontonis, the suspension was reduced in scope and will only include this weekend's Super League fixtures, subject to a review to be conducted next Wednesday. "The decision of the government regarding the combating of violence is definitive and irrevocable," Kontonis said, according to the Ekathimerini newspaper. "It is impossible to tolerate business interests developed in the field of sports because this runs counter to sports and the fans. "All that happened in the match at [the Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium between Panathinaikos and Olympiakos], where it was only thanks to a miracle that we did not have any dead people, as well as everything that happened at the board meeting [of the Super League] have created a terrible atmosphere. "Under these circumstances it is impossible to have games played this Sunday. I have stressed to the soccer authorities in our meeting today that the law providing for fan clubs must be enforced. "Next Wednesday we shall meet again with the representatives of the authorities and see what they have implemented out of what they have promised to do. If the situation remains the same, there will be another suspension." The current suspension is the third this season in Greece. A halt was called in September following the death of a fan after clashes between Ethnikos Piraeus and Irodotos supporters, while a second suspension in November came after an assault on the assistant director of the refereeing committee. Greece's new ruling party Syriza has made an end to violence in football a priority.
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