The Hellenic Football Federation (HFF) organised the inaugural SLO workshop for the top-division clubs in Greece on 29 May. League representatives, club SLOs, security officers and general managers of the Greek clubs were introduced to the localised version of the UEFA SLO handbook and concept by HFF licensing manager and SLO coordinator George Dimitriou, who said: “The HFF considers this project very important in the effort to address violence in stadiums. For us, the SLO, the contact person for the fans, is not just a licensing requirement but also someone who can contribute to the improvement of Greek football. To help you understand the importance of the role, the HFF has invited UEFA SLO project coordinator Stuart Dykes and the SLO of Djurgardens IF, Lena Gustafson-Wiberg, to speak to you today“.
Stuart Dykes presented UEFA’s SLO project in detail and encouraged the dialogue between clubs and supporters. “Without fans there is no football. We have to listen to the needs of fans and achieve better cooperation and communication with them. This will bring numerous benefits to the game“, he said before adding: “SLOs are the link between the club management and the fans and must have the trust of both sides. Not only do they inform and explain decisions taken by the management to the fans, they also convey the views of the fans on certain issues to the club management. SLOs cooperate with the police and security officers and make a decisive contribution to the smooth running of the match“.
Lena Gustafson-Wiberg, for her part, presented to the clubs the role of the SLO in practice, on matchdays and during the week, and discussed various issues with them.
The Hellenic Football Federation is only the third national association to produce a localised version of the UEFA SLO handbook (in association with SD Europe), although fifteen national associations in total have already translated the handbook into their native language.
