As a half-time story, it should be mentioned that the chairman of PAOK, the Russian-Greek oligarch Ivan Savvidis, was at the center of a huge commotion in March 2018.
When PAOK’s last-minute goal against AEK was disallowed, Savvidis, who started as the club’s owner in 2012, rushed onto the field with a handgun on his belt.
The match was suspended because after the episode PAOK’s goal was allowed. With that hit, PAOK would have won 1–0, but AEK’s players left the field citing safety. Savvidis was later arrested by Greek police and the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports suspended the league for weeks.
Savvidis received a three-year ban from the stadiums.
When PAOK and AEK met next time, a Finnish team of judges led by Mattias Gestranius was invited to judge.
– It was very, very strange. I probably didn’t even realize what kind of place I was in, and maybe that’s a good thing, Gestranius recalled later.
Read also: The oligarch marched to the field with a gun on his belt, then the Finnish Mattias Gestranius was invited to Greece
According to Forbes, Savvidis, 64, has gotten rich especially from the tobacco industry. Savvidis has previously been a member of the Russian Duma and has been considered a close associate of Vladimir Putin.