Greek clubs to hand government blueprint to end violence

By Graham Wood ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's top flight clubs will present a blueprint for tackling violence to deputy sports minister Stavros Kontonis on Wednesday and ask for the season to restart after a one-week ban following crowd trouble at the Athens derby. Super League president Giorgos Borovilos said some of the measures proposed included a total ban on away fans until the end of the season, stricter penalties for riots, greater authority for referees and stewards, and improved policing. He added that the introduction of technology such as electronic tickets will also be necessary for all clubs from next season in line with government demands. Panathinaikos's 2-1 derby win over Olympiakos Piraeus last month ended with a pitch invasion after flares were thrown onto the field at various times during the match, one of which hit the Olympiakos midfielder Pajtim Kasami on the arm That was followed two days later by a Super League board meeting which ended in a brawl, leading to the suspension of matches with Greece's recently-elected Syriza ruling party aiming to stamp out the problem of crowd violence. It was the third time this season that professional soccer in Greece had been shut down. Kontonis is set to give his verdict on Wednesday over whether the Super League can resume on Saturday. "We unanimously decided to ask the minister to continue the championship, showing that football with violence is not wanted by anyone," Borovilos was quoted as saying by local media on Monday. "The immediate response to violence is commitment. But do not expect everything to change with a magic button. It needs work." (Reporting by Graham Wood; Editing by Ken Ferris)