The tragic news of the fatal accident at Tempi was a punch in the gut for the entire sports world, with the first reaction being the postponement of all sporting events at domestic events during a three-day national mourning period from yesterday Wednesday until tomorrow Friday.

As a result, two semi-finals of the Lamia Cup – PAOK (first game) and Olympiacos – AEK (second game) did not take place, which led to even more time trouble in an already busy schedule. The match in Lamia will likely be scheduled for next Wednesday (August 3) or Thursday (September 3), with the second leg and derby taking place on Clean Wednesday (December 4) or Clean Thursday (April 13). the priority is to find a free date for the game Atromitos – AEK, whose fate remains with an asterisk, although the decision was made yesterday!

The EPO Secondary Committee rejected the AEK’s appeal and ordered the match with the first free date to be held next Wednesday, March 8, before the last league match, so as not to create problems with the reserved dates. 10 playoff games and 7 playoff games. However, if AEK appeals to CAS and it decides to review the case without immediately returning it with a statement of incompetence, the match will not be scheduled and will remain a big thorn in the side of Super League 1, as the standings for the start of the playoffs and playoffs off! So far, the only reaction of the AEK is the statement: “On the day of mourning for our country, on the day of national mourning, PAE AEK, as a token of respect, is not going to comment in detail on today’s decision of the Appeals Committee. One word: shame!

National mourning will not directly affect the international obligations of our teams and athletes. The entire sports world expressed deep sorrow in connection with the tragic accident and the death of dozens of human lives. Several groups issued statements of condolence:

• “PAE Panathinaikos expresses its sincere condolences to the families of the victims of the tragedy in Tempi and warmest wishes for recovery to the victims.”

AEK’s appeal was rejected, and the match with Atromitos was scheduled for the replay – the appeal to CAS is doubtful.

• “PAEK PAOK expresses its sincere condolences to the families and friends of those killed in the Tempe accident. Strength and courage to the wounded. We are shocked by the new unfair losses in the “cursed” place. There are no words…”

• “The entire Olympiacos family expresses its sincere condolences to the families and relatives of the victims of the great tragedy in Tempi. Our thoughts and prayers are with the wounded and their loved ones.”

• PAE Aris: “This is a day of unspeakable sadness… Our thoughts and prayers go out to our brethren who are being tested in the tragic train accident at Tempe. Bravery…”.

Many sports figures, such as Stefanos Tsitsipas, Maria Sakkari, Mitchell, Mathieu Valbuena, Matias Almeida, Emmanuel Karalis and many others, made emotional posts and statements separately, while the fans of Omonia and APOEL paid tribute to the memory of the dead by the dozens of Greek flags and a minute of silence before the cup game their teams.

Among the many condolence posts, this one from Besiktas fans made a splash.