Polish referee caught drunk and suspended from work at Greek Championship match

A team of referees from Poland, led by Pavel Rachkovsky, was suspended from work at the Greek Football Championship match between AEK and Aris, sport.tvp.pl reports.

Greek media allege that the referees at the Athens airport were drunk, aggressive and did not contact the Hellenic Football Federation until noon. After that, Steve Bennett, who is responsible for the appointment of the referee, decided to replace Rachkovsky with the Greek judge Aristotle Diamantopoulos.

The Polish arbitrator himself categorically denied the allegations.

– Regarding the media information about the situation at the Athens International Airport, I would like to state that I was not intoxicated and did not show aggression. I was attacked by two Polish-speaking Greeks. They called themselves Panathinaikos fans. They accused me of fixing matches, and then physically attacked me, first spitting and then pushing me. I reported the situation to airport security, who took action. Then I went straight to the hotel where I spent the night. I deny all false accusations against me and the judiciary,” said Rachkovsky.

The Polish Football Federation (PZPN) referees’ panel said it had launched an investigation into the incident, noting that the Greek media’s information was “biased, lacking evidence and representing the position of only one side.”

– Our judges categorically refute the version spread by the Greek media and argue that they were the victims of the incident on the plane, and not the instigators. Based on the information collected so far, we have not the slightest reason not to believe the version of our arbitrators, the statement says.

AEK-Aris meeting takes place in Athens on Sunday.