Olympiacos have sent out a message out ahead of their clash with Aston Villa, calling on fans to follow the rules so they won’t be punished in future.
Sport 24 cover a statement from the Greek side today as they look to avoid any punishments from UEFA and the authorities thanks to their fans.
Olympiacos take on Aston Villa in the Georgios Karaiskakis stadium this evening looking to protect their 4-2 win in the Europa Conference League first leg semi-final last week.
The game is set to be a fierce battle between the two sides, with the Greek side’s fans often creating an extremely hostile environment for visiting fans and teams.
That’s often led to trouble with UEFA, something Olympiacos are looking to avoid happening again this time around.
‘Tonight, we continue our European journey always keeping in mind the following,’ their statement said.
‘The use of lasers, the lighting of smoke generators, the throwing of firecrackers and objects is prohibited.
‘We keep the stadium entrances and stairs free. We celebrate our Olympiacos in the stands. The playing field is only for our footballers at every point of the match even after the end of the match. These are the protagonists, and we support them with our voice and soul, as we always do.
‘The punishments from UEFA are devastating and we must all show the self-evident sense of responsibility. We protect our “castle”, we protect our team. You are our power.’
Whether the Olympiacos fans actually listen remains to be seen, but given their history, we’d suggest they absolutely won’t.
Aston Villa will surely be prepared for a hostile environment regardless, with it unlikely a man like Unai Emery would leave such a glaring hole in his preparation for the game.
Overcoming it will likely be key to any success if they are to come away from the “castle” with the result that they want.
