The tragic death of Asllan Gjana, the 16-year-old Albanian who lost his life on a football field in Thasos,
has brought immediate measures to Greece.
The municipality of Kavala has decided to close all football fields in its area indefinitely.,
until the completion of checks for the security of the sports infrastructure.
The decision comes a few days after the serious event that took the life of the young man, known by his relatives as “Ani”.
During a soccer match, the 16-year-old went out of bounds to try to chase the ball and hit the back of his head on a wall near the stands. The collision was fatal.
After this tragedy, the local authorities have decided to suspend the permits for the development of training sessions and football courses for children in the administered fields in the area of Kavala.
The order bears the signature of the Deputy Mayor of the Municipality for Culture, Sports and Youth, Christos Bosbotis. Through this decision, an immediate control of all sports facilities has been requested, to verify if they meet safety standards.
The focus of the inspections will be the dimensions of the fields and, in particular, the distances between the playing lines and walls or other immovable obstacles that may pose a danger to the football players.
Although the permits for the use of these fields were granted during the second half of September, they have been suspended until the verifications are completed and the necessary interventions are carried out.
In case of violations of the standards, the development of matches and trainings will require the relevant approval from the Greek Football Federation.
The decision has been forwarded to the police authorities and the General Secretariat of Sports.
The loss of the life of the young Albanian has brought back to the attention the issue of safety in sports fields, especially in the premises where children train and play. The measures taken by the Municipality of Kavala aim to verify whether the existing infrastructure guarantees the protection of athletes from such risks.
In the photo, the field where the tragedy happened
