Following the arrest of Vassilis Betsis, president of Atromitos FC, for violating laws regarding flares, weapons and sports regulations, after police allegedly found contraband at Peristeri stadium, the club responded with an official statement. The announcement emphasized that police findings were not discovered inside the stadium premises, but outside it, while commenting that the arrest “is due exclusively to formal reasons” related to his role as deputy mayor of Sports. Atromitos FC stressed it bears no responsibility for items found outside the stadium and characterized Vassilis Betsis’s arrest as unjust.
Atromitos: “Vassilis Betsis’s vindication will be proven soon”
The complete statement from Atromitos FC: “The entire Atromitos FC organization wants to express its full support and stand by the president of the Board of Directors, Vassilis Betsis, regarding his unjust arrest following a search by officers from the Anti-Violence Unit.
As Atromitos FC, we want to clarify that the items mentioned in the announcement by the Organized Athletic Violence Response Subdivision of the Organized Crime Response Directorate were in no case found within the Peristeri Municipal Stadium, but in an area outside it, with which our team clearly has no connection or responsibility.
Furthermore, we emphasize that our president’s arrest is due exclusively to formal reasons stemming from his role as Deputy Mayor of Sports.
The entire Atromitos family awaits Vassilis Betsis’s vindication, which we are certain will be proven within the next 24 hours following the authorities’ investigations”.
The timeline
Following a police investigation, Atromitos president Vassilis Betsis was arrested for allegedly violating laws regarding flares, weapons and sports. The preliminary investigation had been ordered by the competent prosecutor following complaints about trafficking, storage and concealment of flares, firecrackers and other prohibited items in a stadium area in Attica, which the municipality had granted to the club for training and matches.
Read: Weapons and ammunition trafficking ring: 13 defendants in Crete trial, one died before it began
Indeed, the actions of the team’s supporters, who have been regulars in the Super League for decades, were not unknown to their president, who was arrested for allegedly becoming complicit in their actions and tolerating them. Additionally, according to the latest information, he appeared to be a participant.
Vassilis Betsis arrested: Search conducted at his home
Atromitos president Vassilis Betsis has been in police custody for several hours, arrested for possession of flares and other illegal items. He is the president of a Super League football team. Police, acting on information, raided his home and other properties where they discovered flares, flagpoles and other illegal items. The man has already been arrested and is expected to be brought before the competent Athens prosecutor with the case file formed against him. Simultaneously, authorities are examining the possibility of his connection to past incidents involving team supporters, though no findings have yet emerged to confirm these assessments.
The evidence
In an organized police operation conducted with a judicial officer present, officers from the Special Investigations Department, with assistance from the Information and Special Operations Subdivision, searched a locked area of the stadium where they located and confiscated:
17 flares,
Launch tube for projectiles,
7 flagpoles,
3 helmets,
Multiple spray cans,
Multiple face masks,
Clothing from other football teams.
The arrested president will be brought before the competent Prosecutorial Authority, while the investigation continues to determine possible involvement of other individuals and for complete examination of the case.
