Photos: Football chairman confronts referee on the pitch with a gun in his belt
A football chairman lost his cool and confronted a referee on the football pitch with a gun in his belt.
The ugly display occurred during Sunday’s Super League game between title rivals PAOK and AEK Athens which ended in chaos as a pitch invasion followed a disallowed goal.
Ivan Savvidis, the chairman of Greek club PAOK also took to the pitch with a Gun in his waistband to confront the referee after Fernando Varela late goal for PAOK was ruled as offside.
The chairman reportedly told the referee: ‘You’re finished.’
Rival, AEK’s Spanish coach Manolo Jimenez saw the firearm and claims to have heard Savvidis threatening the referee verbally.
‘We didn’t know if he had a gun, then we saw it,’ Jimenez told Cadena SER. ‘It could be seen that he was moving his hand towards his waist because he had a gun.’
Jimenez added: ‘He threatened the referee right in front of me. According to my interpreter, he told him: ‘You’re finished as a referee’.
‘I’m stunned; I don’t understand it. It’s the type of thing you expect to see in a Clint Eastwood movie.’
AEK will file a complaint with FIFA and UEFA.
Meanwhile, PAOK said in a statement said: ‘After what happened today, PAOK chairman Ivan Savvidis is preparing all necessary procedures to protect the team and all his collaborators from the threats and attacks they have been subjected to.
‘There will be relevant announcements on the issue soon.’
See more photos below.