Greek soccer player gets life ban for Nazi salute

[SunSeeker]

AEK Athens midfielder Giorgos Katidis has been banned from any Greek national team for life after giving a Nazi salute while celebrating a goal in the Greek league.

Greece's football federation said Sunday in a statement that the player's gesture "is a deep insult to all victims of Nazi brutality."

The 20-year-old Katidis gave a Nazi salute after scoring the winner in AEK's 2-1 victory over Veria on Saturday. His action provoked an immediate and overwhelmingly negative response on social media. Katidis apologized on TV and Twitter, pleading ignorance about the meaning of the salute. "I am not racist in any way," Katidis said on his Twitter account, according to a Google translation.

AEK and the Greek league are also considering separate sanctions. AEK could also be penalized.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57574753/greek-soccer-player-gets-life-ban-for-nazi-salute/


______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Didn't know it was a Nazi salute? Riiiight.



Video of an otherwise sweet goal, followed by his dumbass buffoonery:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/17/giorgos-katidis-banned-life-nazi-salute_n_2895619.html

[Turbineguy]

1. Yeah, those European austerity bankers

have feelings!

[SunSeeker]

2. LOL. They appreciate the show of support, just don't do it publicly.

They don't like the spotlight, kinda like roaches.

Seriously, it is sad that the horrific anti-worker austerity measures have ironically inspired a resurgence of neo-nazism, blaming immigrant workers for the hardships.

[goldent]

3. I think the lifetime ban is too harsh

unless there is some past history with this guy. I know that a lot of 20 year old Americans are ignorant of history and would not necessarily know how bad doing this would be, so I'm thinking it is also possible with a Greek. Let him apologize and move on.

[SunSeeker]

4. This guy can't plead ignorance.

300,000 civilians died in Athens alone during the Nazi occupation. His grandparents were alive when that happened. Everyone in Greece knows what the Nazi salute means.

It would be like Landon Donovan expressing his support for Osama bin Laden. Even if he wasn't officially banned for life, his career in America would be over.