Olympiacos Players Fined €400,000 & Told to 'Go on Holiday' By Outspoken Owner Evangelos Marinakis
Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis has created headlines in Greece after fining his players a combined €400,000 and ordering them to 'go on holiday', with reserve team players seemingly set to fill holes in the squad between now and the end the season.
It comes after the reigning champions dropped two points against bottom half Levadiakos at the weekend and fell down to third place. Part of the fine is also apparently for a 1-1 draw last month against fierce rivals Panathinaikos, who are also struggling in the bottom half.
"I and the rest of the fans have tolerated you enough. You will leave today and go on holiday," Marinakis, who also owns Championship club Nottingham Forest, is quoted as saying by various sources after making the declaration to the Greek media.
He accused players of not caring about fans because they are comfortable with their nice houses and expensive cars, even now blaming the team for two managers - Besnik Hasi and Takis Lemonis - losing their jobs this season.
Olympiacos currently trail second place PAOK by a point and leaders AEK Athens by three, having also played a game more than their competitors.
Not winning the title would come as a huge shock as the club from the Athenian port of Piraeus have lifted the Superleague Greece trophy in each of the last seven seasons. They have won a record 44 overall and been crowned champions in all but two years since 1996.
But only a handful of games are left to play and Olympiacos are playing catch up. As things stand, they would not even qualify for the Champions League next season.
It is not the first time Marinakis has heavily fined Olympiacos players, doing so to the tune of €500,000 in 2015.
