Greek footballer banned for life from national team after Nazi salute

At last Saturday’s Greek League match, 20-year-old midfielder Jorgos Katidis of AEK Athens celebrated his winning goal against Veria by giving the Nazi salute. He has been banned for life from the national team.

"This was a deep insult to all victims of Nazi brutality," the Associated Press quoted the Greek federation as saying. The sanctions may not end with exclusion from the national team, as AEK Athens and the leadership of the country’s highest competition are considering other punishment for the midfielder as well.

Katidis has published an apology on social networking sites in response to a wave of criticism, but it may not save him from prosecution. "I am not a fascist, if I had known what it means I wouldn’t have done it," he said. "This is a misunderstanding, I’m a footballer and I celebrate goals in order to get the fans on their feet. It wasn’t supposed to be a fascist gesture, but I understand people may be upset, so I apologize." Katidis was a captain of the under-19 Greek team and a draft pick for the under-21 team.

Career most probably over in the club

AEK manager Ewald Lienen of Germany has stood up for Katidis. "He’s a young guy with no political opinions. He probably saw the salute somewhere on the internet and did it without knowing what it means," news server Sport.cz quotes him as saying.

However, Lienen says it is highly likely the gesture will end the midfielder’s career with the club. "Everything is heading toward his being suspended for several weeks. He will most probably have to look for a new engagement in the summer," Sport.cz quoted the manager, who has trained the clubs of Olympiakos, Munich 1860, Hannover and Mönchengladbach. Lienen stressed that he is opposed to fascism.

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