AEK go fourth on weekend violence again mars Greek game

By Graham Wood ATHENS (Reuters) - AEK Athens' improvement under new coach Gus Poyet continued with a 2-1 win at Panthrakikos in the Greek championship on Sunday as they went fourth on a weekend overshadowed by violence that saw the Athens derby cancelled. The ugly face of Greek football had resurfaced 24 hours earlier with the top of the table Panathinaikos-Olympiakos Piraeus game called off due to clashes between fans and police in and around the stadium with flares being thrown on the pitch. The decision to call off the match before kickoff resulted in rioting by the home fans at the Apostolos Nikolaidis stadium which included a mass pitch invasion. Greece's Super League will decide the fate of the derby, but Olympiakos are set to be awarded three points and an automatic 3-0 victory if regulations relating to violence are applied and Panathinaikos will get a stadium ban, fine and points deduction. AEK’s win, thanks to goals from Swedish midfielder Jakob Johansson and Argentine forward Diego Buonanotte, with a penalty, means the Yellows have 20 points from 11 matches and are 10 points adrift of leaders Olympiakos. Asteras Tripolis are one point ahead of AEK in third spot following their 1-0 home win over Atromitos Athinon. PAOK Salonika’s indifferent form continues to frustrate their outspoken Croatian coach Igor Tudor, who was left fuming after a goalless home draw with Panaitolikos left his side languishing in sixth place 14 points off the lead. “What we can and need to do is be men, stand on our feet and get out on the field with the right attitude,” Tudor told reporters. “I told them all exactly that in the dressing room. That we should first be men and then football players. "They don’t need anyone to protect them (from unhappy fans). If someone is unable to handle the pressure then they should go to the ballet.” (Editing by Ken Ferris)