Greece's Professional Soccer Matches Suspended After Official Attacked with Bat

In the wake of a brutal attack against a referee, all Greek professional soccer leagues have decided to suspend play indefinitely.

According to Eurosport (h/t Reuters), Central Refereeing Committee director Christoforos Zografos was beaten with wooden bats by two men on a motorcycle in Athens, Greece, Friday.

In an effort to prevent other officials from being put in harm's way, the Hellenic Football Federation released a statement announcing that no matches will be played until further notice.

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After an emergency meeting of the Board of Directors, EPO has decided not to appoint referees from Monday (Nov. 17) following the murderous attack on a member of the KED/EPO, hence the indefinite postponement of all matches in all divisions in order to protect those involved.

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Eurosport is reporting that Zografos is hospitalized, but no further updates have been released regarding his condition.

According to Eurosport, Olympiakos Piraeus president Evangelos Marinakis has information about the attack that he intends to relay to police.

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The police and legal authorities need to look into this in great depth, we must all work together to stop this filth.

I went to the meeting to discuss names and say what I've learned from my colleagues and collaborators about this murderous act.

We are talking about human lives here, it's no longer about an insult, or bitter comments which are said on the radio or television in the heat of the moment; we are talking about a murderous attack on the man that is very lucky to be alive.

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No indication has been given regarding when the Greek soccer leagues will resume operation, but it is clear that those in charge are taking a stand against senseless violence.

Ceasing play is a major statement, and it will be interesting to see if it leads to much-needed changes in Greek soccer.

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