PAOK from Thessalonika have won the Greek Super League for the second time in six years. In a closely fought finale to a troubled season, PAOK won 2-1 at Aris to lift the title, despite losing a man to a red card in the 73rd minute. The club, which is owned by Russian-Greek businessman Ivan Savvidis, also reached the last eight of the Conference League and semi-finals of the Greek Cup. In second place were AEK Athens, who won 3-0 against Lamia on the final day and Conference League finalists Olympiacos finished third. The Greek season has had its problems, notably in the form of crowd trouble and attacks on referees and officials which led to grounds being closed.
THIS coming weekend sees a number of domestic cup finals, not least the FA Cup final at Wembley which just so happens to be a repeat of 2022-23’s Manchester derby. City could be on for a second-successive “double”. It is also the DFB Pokal final in Berlin between Bayer Leverkusen, the newly-crowned Bundesliga champions, and 2. Bundesliga side Kaiserslautern. Leverkusen could complete a unique treble if they are successful in the Europa League final in midweek. The Coupe de France final also takes place in Lille between Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon. PSG have beaten Lyon 4-1 twice in Ligue 1 this season, so will be tipped to win the cup. Celtic and Rangers meet headlong in the Scottish Cup final and in Portugal, champions Sporting could also be double-winners if they dispose of Porto in the Taça de Portugal final in the Estádio Nacional. The Greek Cup final sees Panathinaikos meet Aris in Volos.
BELGIUM’s KV Oostende, who became part of Pacific Media Group’s (PMG) multi-club model, could be heading for bankruptcy after the club struggled to find a new owner. The club’s financial problems meant they had an incomplete license application and without that they would have to drop to amateur status. That outcome would prevent Oostende from servicing its sizeable debts. The temporary administrator believes there will be no choice but to file for bankruptcy. PMG took over the club in 2020 and also has clubs in the Netherlands, Poland, Denmark, France, Switzerland and England. PMG have been coming under fire from the club and its fans, but fingers also have to be pointed at governing bodies, who have failed to provide a proper framework for multi-club structures.
POLAND could have a new league champion if current leaders Jagiellonia Białystok beat struggling Warta Poznań on the final day of the Ekstraklasa season. The club from Poland’s 10th biggest city has never won the title, but they have a better goal difference than second-placed Ślask Wrocław, who also have 60 points with one game remaining. They are away to Rakow Częstochowa, the reigning champions. The Polish top flight has witnessed an upswing in popularity in 2023-24, with crowds up by 29% to an average of 12,256.
GAME OF THE PEOPLE 