Olympiacos triumph in Komotini dedicated in memory of ‘Gate 7’ disaster
By: Peter Katsiris | February 9th, 2009
While there were cheers from Olympiacos supporters on Saturday night, Olympiacos fans recalled a tragic moment in the club’s history less than twenty four hours later as victims of Greece’s worst sporting disaster were remembered.
Marking the 28th anniversary of a tragedy at the old Giorgos Karaiskakis Stadium, in which several fanatical Olympiacos supporters rushed out of the stadium after what was supposed to be a memorable 6-0 win over rivals AEK Athens.
Sadly, memories were made for all the wrong reasons as a malfunction in Gate 7 of the stadium saw fans fall on the steps of the gate’s exit before waves of Olympiacos supporters unsuspectingly trample over them. The overcrowded stairway gave way due to the pressure, and ultimately claimed the lives of twenty-one people.
In the wake of this tragic anniversary, current Olympiacos manager Ernesto Valverde was the first to dedicate Saturday’s 2-0 win over Panthrakikos to the memorial scheduled to be held on Sunday.
“We wanted to win the game, because tomorrow [Sunday] is an important day for our club,” Valverde told the Greek media after the game.
“Tomorrow is the day on which the ‘Gate 7′ tragedy occurred, and it is very important that we won, because we wanted to dedicate the result to those who innocently lost their lives.”
The vice-president of Olympiacos, Savvas Theodoridis, also paid his respects following the full-time whistle in Komotini, furthering the dedication of the result to the memory of the fallen.
The victory is dedicated to the victoms of ‘Gate 7,’ declared Theodoridis. “We will always remember them.”
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Tags: 2008/2009 Season, Ernesto Valverde, Europe, GATE 7, Greece, Greek Super League, Olympiacos, Olympiacos Team News, Panthrakikos, Player News, Savvas TheodoridisSubscribe
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