http://www.paokfans.gr/news_eng.htmlRED STAR-PAOK 81-85 (5/12/06)
Because of the financial problems that football PAOK faces, the team did not manage to play in the UEFA cup of this season (2006-07). However the basketball team of PAOK plays for the ULEB cup. One very interesting game was definitely against Crvena Zvezda (Red Star) in Belgrad.
It is well known that PAOK fans have created a strong friendship with the fans of Partizan (Grobari). Both teams have black and white colours and generally speaking they have many things in common. For example they hate teams that wear red colours like Red Star and gay-ros. The game against Red Star was a good chance for PAOK and Partizan fans to prove their friendship for one more time. One bus with 30 PAOK fans from Thessaloniki traveled to Belgrad in order to watch the game. The bus managed to reach Belgrad in Tuesday morning. The Yugoslavian cops lead the bus to a restaurant near to Red Star basketball stadium (Hala Pionir). Some fans of Partizan were already waiting for the PAOK fans and everything was fine. Partizan and PAOK fans were drinking and singing while the time was passing. Many fans of both teams exchanged t-shirts and flags and the atmosphere was really good.
The cops took the decision to lead PAOK and Partizan fans in Red Star stadium about 5 hours before the game. Of course this was not good news for PAOK fans but the cops threatened that if the PAOK fans do not accept to go to the stadium they will return to Greece. Police sucks in every place of the world. When the PAOK fans together with some Partizan fans reached the stadium they had to wait for some hours until the start of the game. The PAOK fans together with Partizan fans were about 50 people. While the time was passing more Partizan fans started to enter the stadium. The cops put them next to PAOK fans. We should mention that Red star fans had many flags and banners of gay-ros. When 2 Partizan fans jumped to the terrace of Red Star fans the party had started. Hundreds of Red Star fans entered the stadium and moved towards the terrace of PAOK fans. Some Red Star fans were close enough to PAOK fans and started to throw flares and chairs at them. PAOK and Partizan fans reacted at once and they send Red Star fans back to their terrace. The fans of Red Star should know that it is better for them not to mess with PAOK and Partizan fans. Maybe they should ask first their red friends from Piraeus. After a while the police controlled the situation and the game started.
The team of PAOK was better from the beginning of the game. We should mention that the fans of Red Star created a good atmosphere as they were singing all the time. PAOK and Partizan fans were singing too but the voices of 100 people can not be compared with the voices of 5000 people. Finally PAOK won the game and the fans of PAOK and Partizan were feeling great. There is no doubt that the incidents that happened in Hala Pionir made the friendship between PAOK and Partizan even stronger. Therefore we must thank our Yugoslavian black and white brothers for their hospitality and their attitude. We will meet again…
