Brothel owner Soula Alevridou, the team’s new benefactor,
has already paid more than 1,000 euros ($1,312) for players
to wear her jerseys. The team is appealing the game ban, but
that doesn’t worry the 67-year-old Alevridou, who says she’
s only in it because she loves soccer.
“It’s not the kind of business that needs promotion,” she
said, dressed all in white and flanked by two young women in
dark leggings at a recent game. “It’s a word-of-mouth kind
of thing.”
Her businesses, plushly decorated pastel-colored bungalows
where 14 women are employed, have weathered the country’s
financial disaster far better than most, and she readily
acknowledges her success.
“If we don’t help our scientists and athletes, where will
we be?” she asked. “Greece has educated people, cultured
people and good athletes. It’s better to help them than take
our money to Switzerland.”
Alevridou watched in disappointment as her team lost its
fourth straight game, 1-0, despite her promise to players of
“a special time” at her businesses if they won.
“There’s a lot still missing. We have no midfield,” said
Alevridou, a slightly built woman with a husky voice. “Many
of our boys have jobs that keep them working at night. And if
we have a game the following morning, they can’t have a real
presence on the pitch. … They need more help.”
(MORE: Euro Crisis: Why a Greek Exit Could Be Much Worse than
Expected)
They aren’t the only team suffering. Greece’s Amateur
Athletics Federation suspended all its activities for several
weeks earlier this year to protest funding cuts. And even the
major soccer clubs sent most of their star players abroad
this summer in the face of financial trouble and poor
attendance, with fans no longer able to afford tickets.
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