Latest news with #Olympiacos
New York Times
32 minutes ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Why have Brighton signed two very similar Greek strikers?
Brighton & Hove Albion have spent upwards of £50million ($67m) this year on two Greek teenagers that play in the same position in the front line. So, can Charalampos Kostoulas (left in top image) and Stefanos Tzimas (right) feature together in the starting line-up, or will head coach Fabian Hurzeler be choosing between them next season? Advertisement There are parallels between the Greece Under-21 team-mates in terms of their rapid rises, value and goalscoring. Kostoulas, 18, joins Brighton from Olympiacos on July 1 for €35m (£29.6m; $40.2m) plus €2m in add-ons. That is more than the fee of £20m plus add-ons paid for 19-year-old Tzimas from German club Nurnberg at the end of the January transfer window. Kostoulas contributed seven goals and two assists in 30 appearances in the Greek Super League (which Olympiacos won) and the Europa League last season (Olympiacos lost 4-2 on aggregate to Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt in the last 16 of the competition). Tzimas's output was higher in the 2024-25 campaign — 12 goals and three assists in 23 outings — albeit at a lower level in Germany's second tier. Nurnberg signed Tzimas initially on loan from PAOK in his homeland before exploiting a buy option in the deal and then selling to Brighton. Both players are predominantly right-footed finishers, around 6ft (183cm) tall and have agreed contracts with Brighton until 2030. But enough with the similarities, how are they different? 'We play the same position, but I think we have different characteristics,' said Kostoulas, speaking to the club website last week after his signing was announced. 'He (Tzimas) is fast, he is strong, he is very smart on the pitch and off it. He is hanging around the goal every time. He wants to finish the actions, he wants to score.' Tzimas showed his poaching instincts when he scored for Nurnberg against Hannover in March (see clips below). When a shot from Janis Antiste deflected off Hannover goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler onto the crossbar, Tzimas reacted fastest to head in the loose ball from close range. The next set of clips shows how Tzimas pounced in a similar fashion against Karlsruher in January. He was ready to pick up the pieces when Julian Justvan had a shot parried by the visitors' goalkeeper, Max Weiss. Tzimas controlled the ball with his knee and scored with a looping header. Tzimas also showed the attributes of a No 9 when he was on target in March against Greuther Furth. He makes a run infield in anticipation of a pass developing into an opportunity. The failure of a Greuther defender to cut out the pass left Tzimas running into space one-on-one with the goalkeeper. He opened up his body to slot the ball past the advancing Nahuel Noll with his trusty right foot. 'The biggest difference is that Tzimas is an out-and-out No 9,' Greek football writer and podcaster Stephen Kountourou tells The Athletic. 'Kostoulas, meanwhile, can play anywhere in the attacking line and definitely feels more like a spiritual successor to Joao Pedro, if the Brazilian forward does leave this summer.' Advertisement The versatility of Kostoulas is highlighted by the different types of goals he has scored for Olympiacos, operating in different areas of the pitch. In the clips below, he came off the bench against rivals Panathinaikos to make a darting run that caught the visiting defence flat-footed as he headed in a free kick from Brazilian Rodinei, sealing a 4-2 victory. Kostoulas did all the work himself in a home game against Aris Thessaloniki in November. He pressed voraciously as the visitors passed the ball in a triangle near the halfway line. Kostoulas wins the ball in a tackle and makes progress towards the penalty area, evading a challenge from an Aris defender. Once he is inside the penalty area, he shows composure to equalise with a right-footed shot into the far corner. Kostoulas went on to snatch the points in the same game with a 96th-minute header. 6ft In the final set of clips, against Volos in December, Kostoulas points to where he wants the pass as he makes a diagonal run across the central defender 30 yards from goal. He shifts the ball with his left foot back onto his favoured right foot to plant a low shot past Volos goalkeeper Daniel Kovacs, who is fooled into thinking he is aiming for the opposite side of the net. Kostoulas has scored five goals in 15 appearances representing Greece in age groups from under-16 to under-21. Tzimas has netted 16 times in 32 outings across the same range of age groups. They are tipped in their homeland to soon be making senior appearances at international level. 'Both are explosive players when it comes to running,' says Kountourou. 'Both are good physically and seem not to shy away from worrying about scoring when it comes to the big moments, because they know they are still young and they have the time to develop. In short, they aren't afraid to make those mistakes, because they will try and try again.' Advertisement The striker options are currently in a state of flux for Hurzeler next season, amid doubts over the futures of Joao Pedro, Julio Enciso and Evan Ferguson. Danny Welbeck and Georginio Rutter are respectively strong options for the No 9 and No 10 roles, while Brajan Gruda showed in the latter stages of last season as the injured Rutter's replacement that he can also be in the mix. The additions of Kostoulas and Tzimas bring an intriguing dimension to Brighton's forward options for the 2025-26 campaign. Kostoulas said during his signing announcement: 'Stefanos is my friend. He is a very good guy, a very good player. We had some discussion about here and I can't wait to play with him on the pitch.' (Top photos: Getty Images)
The Herald Scotland
15 hours ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Forgotten Celtic winger Luis Palma suffers Honduras disaster
He made just three league starts for Olympiacos and his nightmare campaign reached a new low on international duty when Honduras crashed to a humiliating 6-0 defeat to Canada in a CONCACAF Gold Cup match at Vancouver and he was subbed off at the interval. And Palma admitted it was a disastrous night for him. He said: "It's very sad. It's one of my lowest moments in my career. Read more: "We have to accept we are going through a very difficult time at the moment. But we all know that was nowhere near acceptable. "Now we have to use this as a learning experience for the rest of the tournament. The whole team is devastated by this setback. "Only hard work will help us. We have to turn over a new page. "We didn't have a clear idea of what we wanted to play, and it showed. This defeat hurts us all a lot."
The National
15 hours ago
- Sport
- The National
Forgotten Celtic winger Luis Palma suffers Honduras disaster
The 25-year-old spent the second half of the season on loan at Greek giants Olympiacos, but will return to Parkhead for the new season after they opted not to exercise a £3.3 million clause that would make the move permanent. He made just three league starts for Olympiacos and his nightmare campaign reached a new low on international duty when Honduras crashed to a humiliating 6-0 defeat to Canada in a CONCACAF Gold Cup match at Vancouver and he was subbed off at the interval. And Palma admitted it was a disastrous night for him. He said: "It's very sad. It's one of my lowest moments in my career. Read more: "We have to accept we are going through a very difficult time at the moment. But we all know that was nowhere near acceptable. "Now we have to use this as a learning experience for the rest of the tournament. The whole team is devastated by this setback. "Only hard work will help us. We have to turn over a new page. "We didn't have a clear idea of what we wanted to play, and it showed. This defeat hurts us all a lot."
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Straits Times
Greek probes into football hooliganism find links to drugs, extortion and arson
Greek police officer George Lyngeridis died after clashes with hooligans outside a women's volleyball match in Athens in December 2023. PHOTO: REUTERS Greek probes into football hooliganism find links to drugs, extortion and arson ATHENS – When a police officer died after clashes with hooligans outside a women's volleyball match in Athens in December 2023, authorities vowed to end the violence and criminality that have plagued Greek sport for decades. Police launched probes into the hooliganism that killed George Lyngeridis and that had moved beyond football stadiums, but also into links between some violent fans and criminal gangs. These links, they believed, were ramping up the aggression. While the vast majority of sports fans in Greece are peaceful, evidence collected by police alleges hardcore fans, who follow their clubs across different sports, were involved in smuggling drugs, or linked to gangs extorting protection money from businesses and arson. "(The gangs) used sports as an alibi," Sports Minister Yiannis Vroutsis said. "They used clubs as a cover for their illegal acts." Police have made dozens of arrests, with the latest coming on June 16. The fan groups' hierarchies and discipline "offered the conditions for criminal organisations to thrive within them", Supreme Court Prosecutor Georgia Adilini has said. Police officials said gangs can emerge within fan groups or infiltrate them to sell drugs, or seek new recruits. On Dec 7, 2023, some fans of Olympiacos football club moved a bag of flares and makeshift explosives from a storage room at their stadium to the venue for a women's volleyball derby against Panathinaikos. "We'll kill you!" the crowd shouted, according to prosecutors, during an attack on police that led to the fatal injury of Lyngeridis, who was hit by a flare. In May, a Greek court convicted a 20-year-old Olympiacos fan of manslaughter and gave him a life sentence. Lyngeridis' mother Evgenia Stratou said her policeman son never expected to be in such danger. 'That day, it wasn't that simple. They were organised, coordinated,' she said. In a separate investigation, dozens of Olympiacos fans have been charged with setting up a gang, extorting street vendors, possessing weapons and orchestrating assaults. They have denied wrongdoing. The team's official fan club Gate 7 has condemned the attack and said it has never incited violence. The investigation extended to the top echelons of the club and Evangelos Marinakis, chairman of Olympiaco, is set to stand trial in the coming months with four board members. They face misdemeanour charges related to inciting sports-related violence and of abetting a criminal group. Marinakis' lawyers declined to comment on the case but have called the accusations completely baseless. Gate 7 member Akis Vardalakis, 58, called the case a government witch hunt. But he noted a rise in aggression around sport. "Sports fandom is a mirror of society," he said. In July 2024, police dismantled a ring extorting protection money from at least 76 Athens restaurants and night clubs. The gang was also hired by Panathinaikos fans to attack fellow team fans in a war for control, police allege in the documents. Panathinaikos' only legal fan club PALEFIP condemns all violence and vets new members, its president Gerasimos Menegatos insisted. In December 2024, police dismantled a gang that imported cocaine and cannabis from Spain. Among core members were allegedly fans of AEK, previously involved in violence and robberies, the documents stated. In 2020-2021 alone, the group imported about 1.4 tonnes of cannabis and 30 kilograms of cocaine. George Katsadimas, a legal representative for AEK's fan club, said the case did not concern the fan club but a few individuals who also support the team. The legal fan club insists its members are not involved in any illegal activity. In May, police arrested 24 people, allegedly fans of PAOK, accused of selling drugs at matches. Greece's judicial system has several preparatory stages and the compilation of charges does not necessarily mean an individual will face trial. Older fans said they noticed a rise in aggression since the 2009-2018 debt crisis, that left a young generation without work and with little prospects. "Sports fandom has always been a hybrid space," said Anastassia Tsoukala, a security and sports violence analyst and former associate professor of criminology. A young person can develop other affiliations within a group of fans, and may be pushed into crime in the desire to belong more deeply to a group, climb its hierarchy and make a living, she said. Greece in recent years cut the number of legal fan groups from dozens to just eight, increased stadium security and toughened penalties for clubs and sentences for hooliganism. Since February 2024, some 96 matches have been played behind closed doors and authorities imposed fines worth about €1 million on clubs, according to government sources. Police also monitor around 300 "high-risk" hardcore fans in each major club, a police source said. Minister Vroutsis said reforms have been successful, while analysts argue brawls have merely shifted beyond the football stadiums. Police data shows 700 cases of sports-related crime annually. Critics and victims of the violence say more needs to be done. Among those campaigning for change is Aristidis Kampanos, who went into politics after his son Alkis was stabbed to death in February 2022 in Thessaloniki. 'The clean-up I want is not just a job for the state. We must all participate, including club presidents and fan clubs,' Kampanos said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Straits Times
Greek probes into soccer hooliganism find links to drugs, extortion and arson
Security and sports violence analyst, Anastassia Tsoukala, gestures during an interview with Reuters in Athens, Greece, May 27, 2025. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki Thanasis Lyngeridis, 60, father of the murdered police officer George Lyngeridis and his wife Evgenia Stratou, 55, pose at their home in Thessaloniki, Greece, May 14, 2025. REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis A candle burns by a photograph of the murdered police officer George Lyngeridis, at his parents' home in Thessaloniki, Greece, May 14, 2025. REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis A man walks past a mural depicting Alkis Kampanos, 19, who was fatally stabbed by rival team supporters in 2022, in Thessaloniki, Greece, May 30, 2025. REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis Aristides Kampanos, 60, stands at the stadium of his son's Alkis beloved team, in Thessaloniki, Greece, May 30, 2025. Alkis Kampanos was fatally stabbed by rival team supporters in 2022. REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis Thanasis Lyngeridis, 60, father of the murdered police officer George Lyngeridis and his wife Evgenia Stratou, 55, hold a photograph of their son in Thessaloniki, Greece, May 14, 2025. REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis ATHENS - When a police officer died after clashes with hooligans outside a women's volleyball match in Athens in December 2023, authorities vowed to end the violence and criminality that have plagued Greek sport for decades. Police launched probes into the hooliganism that killed George Lyngeridis and that had moved beyond soccer stadiums, but also into links between some violent fans and criminal gangs. These links, they believed, were ramping up the aggression. While the vast majority of sports fans in Greece are peaceful, evidence collected by police and seen by Reuters alleges hardcore fans, who follow their clubs across different sports, were involved in smuggling drugs, or linked to gangs extorting protection money from businesses and arson. "[The gangs] used sports as an alibi," Sports Minister Yiannis Vroutsis told Reuters. "They used clubs as a cover for their illegal acts." Police have made dozens of arrests, with the latest coming on Monday. The fan groups' hierarchies and discipline "offered the conditions for criminal organisations to thrive within them," Supreme Court Prosecutor Georgia Adilini has said. Police officials told Reuters gangs can emerge within fan groups or infiltrate them to sell drugs, or seek new recruits. On December 7, 2023, some fans of Olympiacos soccer club moved a bag of flares and makeshift explosives from a storage room at their soccer stadium to the venue for a women's volleyball derby against Panathinaikos, a police probe found. "We'll kill you!" the crowd shouted, according to prosecutors, during an attack on police that led to the fatal injury of Lyngeridis, who was hit by a flare. Last month, a Greek court convicted a 20-year-old Olympiacos fan of manslaughter and gave him a life sentence. Lyngeridis' mother Evgenia Stratou said her policeman son never expected to be in such danger. "That day, it wasn't that simple. They were organised, coordinated." FANS CHARGED In a separate investigation, dozens of Olympiacos fans have been charged with setting up a gang, extorting street vendors, possessing weapons and orchestrating assaults. They have denied wrongdoing, their defence lawyers have said. The soccer team's official fan club Gate 7 has condemned the attack and said it has never incited violence. The investigation extended to the top echelons of the club and Evangelos Marinakis, chairman of Olympiacos soccer club, is set to stand trial in the coming months with four board members. They face misdemeanour charges related to inciting sports-related violence and of abetting a criminal group. Marinakis and the other board members deny any wrongdoing or knowledge of criminal activity. Marinakis' lawyers declined to comment to Reuters on the case for this article but have called the accusations completely baseless in the past. Olympiacos has said it takes an unwavering stance against all violence. Gate 7 member Akis Vardalakis, 58, called the case a government witch hunt. But he noted a rise in aggression around sport. "Sports fandom is a mirror of society," he said. EXTORTION, DRUGS In July 2024, police dismantled a ring extorting protection money from at least 76 Athens restaurants and night-clubs. The gang was also hired by Panathinaikos fans to attack fellow team fans in a war for control, police allege in the documents. Panathinaikos' only legal fan club PALEFIP condemns all violence and vets new members, its president Gerasimos Menegatos said. PALEFIP could not comment on the extortion, he added. In December 2024, police dismantled a gang that imported cocaine and cannabis from Spain. Among core members were allegedly fans of soccer team AEK, previously involved in violence and robberies, the documents stated. In 2020-2021 alone, the group imported about 1.4 tonnes of cannabis and 30 kilograms of cocaine. Their estimated profits topped 7 million euros ($8.07 million). George Katsadimas, a legal representative for AEK's fan club, said the case did not concern the fan club but a few individuals who also support the team. The legal fan club condemns any form of violence and its members are not involved in any illegal activity, he said. Last month, police arrested 24 people, allegedly fans of soccer team PAOK in the northern city of Thessaloniki, accused of selling drugs at matches. "The alleged criminal group, which included some random PAOK supporters but also individuals who were not related to sports, has no link at all to the PAOK soccer team or its fan club," said lawyer Ilias Gkindis, who represents the fan club. Those in the legal fan club have nothing to do with illegal acts. "They are people who passionately love sports and believe that criminal activity, particularly drug-related, has no place in the fan club or in sports fandom," he added. Greece's judicial system has several preparatory stages and the compilation of charges does not necessarily mean an individual will face trial. LEGACY OF DEBT CRISIS Older fans said they noticed a rise in aggression since the 2009-2018 debt crisis, that left a young generation without work and with little prospects. "Sports fandom has always been a hybrid space," said Anastassia Tsoukala, a security and sports violence analyst and former associate professor of criminology. A young person can develop other affiliations within a group of fans, and may be pushed into crime in the desire to belong more deeply to a group, climb its hierarchy and make a living, she said. Greece in recent years cut the number of legal fan groups from dozens to just eight, increased stadium security and toughened penalties for clubs and sentences for hooliganism. Since February 2024, some 96 soccer matches have been played behind closed doors and authorities imposed fines worth about 1 million euros on clubs, according to government sources. Police monitor around 300 "high-risk" hardcore fans in each major club, a police source said. Vroutsis said reforms have been successful, while analysts argue brawls have merely shifted beyond the soccer stadiums. Police data shows 700 cases of sports-related crime annually. Critics and victims of the violence say more needs to be done. "Unlike other European countries, in Greece we have never adopted primary prevention. We have never looked at the profile of perpetrators to reduce that type of criminality in the long term. We are only focused on repression," said Tsoukala. Among those campaigning for change is Aristidis Kampanos, who went into politics after his son Alkis was stabbed to death in August 2023 in Thessaloniki. He was one of three people killed in sports-linked violence in 2022-2023. "The clean-up I want is not just a job for the state. We must all participate, including club presidents and fan clubs." Sport must be put back in the hands "of families, pure fans, and those who truly love soccer," he said. 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