Olympiacos President Petros Savva spoke to “SPOR FM 95.0” about the meeting between the team presidents and the Cyprus Football Association (CFA) and about refereeing issues.
Here are the highlights of what he said:
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
On yesterday’s meeting: “It was a relaxed, constructive discussion. Each president expressed his views. The discussion was reasonable, valid points were raised, and some of the suggestions should be adopted over time.”
On foreign VAR officials: “There was this idea to assist the Cypriot referees. We’ve had some issues with VAR, and we want to assist the Cypriot referees as much as possible. The decision will be made by the Federation. It wasn’t a negative proposal; I believe this recommendation will be adopted, and we just need to find out when.”
Regarding the teams and what needs to be done about refereeing: “This is something the referees themselves need to think about. They need to develop their character, undergo training, and possess many other qualities beyond just knowledge. It takes physicality, character, being everywhere on the field, and respecting players and officials. As Olympiacos fans, we’ve said we won’t shout—we’ll take the necessary actions. If you shout, you don’t solve the problem—you just make it worse.”
Regarding the issues raised by the Federation: “One has to do with the Turkish Cypriots and Barcelona, which wanted to host the training camp, and the other is FIFA–UEFA–Infantino.”
On referee sanctions: “One issue that came up is making referees semi-professionals. I agree; referees should be employed by the Federation, train daily, be physically fit, and be able to perform their duties properly.”
On young referees: “It’s not the easiest way to bring young people into refereeing. It’s difficult; we’re a small country, so it’s hard to get young people interested in refereeing.”
On Grigoris’s post and the ensuing discussion: “I don’t want to get involved in that. What I said earlier is what matters most. The rest is secondary.”
On Olympiacos: “We didn’t get the points we wanted. The team isn’t yet at the level we want it to be. Unfortunately, we’re conceding goals due to individual mistakes. The truth is that the team hasn’t yet played with its full roster and needs time to gel. We have great confidence in the coach, and we want that first win to get the team rolling.”
On transfer rumors: “The transfer window is closed.”
