AEL is expected to file a police report regarding the Kafou case, as revealed by the team’s president, Konstantinos Konstantinou. In fact, he revealed that he will give a statement along with another member of the board of directors, even mentioning the possibility of match-fixing.
He also addressed the refereeing, specifically regarding David Luiz’s tackle on Jovetić, expressing his dissatisfaction that the incident went unpunished. At the same time, he made it clear that AEL’s goal is to finish in the top six.
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Finally, he commented on Jovetić’s transfer, emphasizing that his signing did not represent a financial stretch for the team, as the player had also agreed to a pay cut.
Here are his comments in detail:
On AEL’s latest victory: “A big win in recent years; given the hiatus, it was exactly what we needed. Sometimes everything goes your way; sometimes nothing does. The bar was set higher because of the many absences. We made 19 transfers; we need stability and consistency. I believe we have a future.”
On the “hit” on Jovetić: “David Luiz has a free pass in our league. When you punch Jovetić in the face and don’t even get a yellow card, you have no respect for that player on the team either.”
On the pressure from AEL: “We tried to relieve the stress and pressure from the players. And from the coach as well. We handled it pretty well; we also had a bit of luck with that goal in the 90+5′ against Nea Salamina, but the clearest example was our reaction in the match against Paphos FC. We beat the league’s top-ranked team by a clean margin for the first time in 7–8 years. The pressure was intense, but sometimes you just have to tune it out. If you let yourself get carried away and make decisions under pressure, they won’t be the right ones. We spoke with the coach the day after the match against APOEL. We said, ‘What’s done is done—let’s get to work and come away with a win against Salamina.’ Now, after the Pafos match, we’ve shaken off our biggest source of anxiety. We’ve shown quality this year.”
On the top six and the team’s goal: “The goal is to finish in the top six of the league. Aris and APOEL are the teams we can beat to secure a spot in the top six of the league. We’re satisfied with the nine points; our goals from the start of the season were to make the top six and qualify for European competitions.”
On the use of VAR: “What worries me is the VAR’s decision; we haven’t understood why the goal was disallowed, even though we asked many times for an explanation.”
On the deal with Jovetić: “We closed the deal with Jovetić through patience and persistence; we reached a point where the numbers aligned. Jovetić also made his own concession, so it wasn’t a financial stretch for AEL.”
On the Kafou incident: “The incident can be divided into two parts. The red card he received, and whether there was external interference with the VAR—something that is strictly prohibited. Only the VAR can communicate with the production team, not the other way around. We received information that this interference took place, which is why we filed a complaint with the federation and asked them to confirm it via audio recording. We would like to have and evaluate this material. All we’ve received so far is a letter stating that a complaint was sent to the relevant authorities and that they will investigate it. The investigation is still ongoing, and I still can’t understand why it’s so difficult. They didn’t tell us that the material had been preserved, and they never told us that we could go see or listen to it. Tomorrow or the day after, we’ll go to the police to file a complaint so that the case can be properly investigated. I’ll go with another member of the company to give a statement. We’ve gathered various pieces of evidence; we’ll submit everything we know. I imagine the police will request the footage to determine who did it, why, and what the motive was. This is a massive case that must be investigated thoroughly. It constitutes match-fixing, since it interferes with the conduct and flow of the match.”
