Schwab: “It was a big surprise for little Giannis that I brought him onto the field with all the players”

Stefan Schwab spoke to Turkish media about his move to enter the pitch in the game against Panserraikos with young PAOK fan Yiannis Papastephanakis, who suffers from mobility problems, in his arms. The Austrian spoke about the incident as well as his personal experiences from his childhood.

What the Austrian midfielder told Dikefalos: For this season: “It’s an exciting season because I can’t remember ever having four players fight for a championship and a cup in Greece. Anything is possible, there are no favorites this year.

We as PAOK are very motivated and are fighting for the championship. We lost two cup finals and this year we want to take revenge and win trophies. Anything is possible in the Conference League too, but there is still a long way to go. We are excited to continue Spring in Europe“.

For the social contribution of him and his team: “Every year I make a financial contribution to sports for the disabled in Austria. There are an incredible number of strong-willed people who deal with this part in a very positive way.

For me, these people are role models. Therefore, I am open to any kind of support for disabled people. PAOK as a club often takes initiatives in such matters and I think this is something that should be given more and more attention. This way, more people will be encouraged to do something good.

I think I am generally influenced by my life story. My brothers have always been role models for me. We received a good education from our family and grew up learning to respect everyone.

I think without blinders and don’t limit my way of thinking. I know what’s going on in the world and how other people are feeling. That’s why I try to help where I can. Little John and his family are permanent guests of our stadium. PAOK is a club that is very open to its fans.

For our part, we footballers are happy when we can give them a smile: giving autographs and taking photos with them is something simple and beautiful. We agreed with John’s family to create a beautiful moment for him. I think it was a big surprise for the boy when I brought him onto the field with all the players“.

About his personal experiences and the difficult times he went through: “I was very young when my brother died, and my other two older brothers were more affected than I was. I still couldn’t understand what was going on, but we were there for each other.

It was also very sad when my father died because he had just retired and especially wanted to watch more football games with me. My wife’s support helped me a lot. At the same time, my father was a motivation for me to get better because if he were still alive he would have insisted that I focus solely on football and getting better“.

For the emotions that football awakens: “Emotions are very important in sport, you can’t do without them. But you also have to be able to face them and not let them overwhelm you. I am a team player and there is nothing better than motivating each other. Playing in full stadiums is particularly stressful. The warm public in… rises up and this is what is happening in PAOK. It doesn’t matter if you win or lose, they support you. The goal is to be able to make many people happy with our victories and that is our motivation“.