The new Super League season kicked off this weekend with PAOK and Aris winning at home, while Panathinaikos began its campaign with a reverse on the road.
The two Thessaloniki clubs started off on Friday, due to their midweek European fixtures to come. Aris came from behind to beat visiting Lamia 3-1, while PAOK had teenage sensation Christos Tzolis to thank for its 1-0 victory over Larissa.
Panathinaikos suffered a 1-0 loss at Asteras that scored through Adrian Riera on Sunday to get a well deserved win in Tripoli.
OFI drew 1-1 at home against Panetolikos on Saturday, while Volos upset host Atromitos at Peristeri winning 2-0 on Sunday, with both goals coming after Atromitos was left with 10 men.
The match between the two promoted teams, Apollon and PAS Giannina will take place on October 21, after their request to begin their games in the top flight a little later.
The derby between AEK and Olympiakos, the teams that contested the Cup final on Saturday, will meet on December 16.
The National Remembrance Day for the Genocide of Asia Minor Greeks by the Turkish state was established by a unanimous decision of the Greek Parliament on September 24, 1998 and is celebrated every year on September 14.
The initiative was taken by three PASOK MPs of Asian Minor descent, Giannis Kapsis, Giannis Diamantidis and Giannis Charalambous, who submitted the relevant bill on May 12, 1997.
To mark the national day, we take a look back at the events leading up to the tragic genocide.
Hellenism in Asia Minor:
Smyrna, the modern-day city of Izmir on the Turkish coast of the Aegean sea, was undoubtedly one of the wealthiest cities of the Ottoman Empire.
Smyrna was undoubtedly one of the wealthiest cities of the Ottoman Empire.
It was home to one of the largest populations of Greeks and Armenians in the Empire. Together, they constituted the Christian community of the city, which lived peacefully side by side with the Muslim and the Jewish communities for centuries.
However, politics, and the competing interests of the main global powers, alongside the rising tide of nationalism and the outbreak of the First World War, were the factors that determined the fate of Smyrna and its citizens for the rest of the twentieth century and beyond.
The Genocide of Greeks in Asia Minor:
As part of the Greco-Turkish War, which raged from 1919 to 1922, Greece’s armed forces went to Smyrna on May 15, 1919. For a brief time, it appeared that the extermination of the Hellenic race had ceased.
But after major military and political errors made by the Greek government, the Turkish army regained control of the city on September 9, 1922.
The great fire of Smyrna began on September 13, 1922, and lasted for approximately nine full days, until September 22.
Eyewitness reports state that the great fire of Smyrna began a few days later on September 13, 1922, and lasted for approximately nine full days, until September 22.
The fire’s results were catastrophic – Over 100,000 Greeks and 30,000 Armenians were killed.
The number of refugees who were forced to leave the city and its surrounding countryside was between 25,000 and 100,000.
Churches, ornate villas, and mansions of great architectural importance, as well as schools and entire market areas, were gone forever without a trace.
The city suffered such enormous damage to its infrastructure that much of it literally had to be rebuilt from the ashes.
Today, the area is an enormous park, known as Kültürpark in Turkish, which serves as Turkey’s largest open-air exhibition center. There are no reminders there of the glory which once was Smyrna.
Turkish seismic research vessel Oruc Reis returned to Turkey’s Antalya port on Sunday, a move that Greece said was a positive first step to ease tensions over gas exploration rights in the East Mediterranean.
“The return of the Oruc Reis is a positive first step, I hope there will be continuity. We want to talk with Turkey but in a climate without provocations,” Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, told reporters in Thessaloniki.
But Turkish Defence Minister, Hulusi Akar, played down the significance of the move, saying the ship had returned to shore as part of scheduled plans and insisted it did not mean Ankara was “giving up our rights there.”
In this photo taken Monday, Aug. 10, 2020, Turkey’s research vessel, Oruc Reis, center, is surrounded by Turkish navy vessels as it was heading in the west of Antalya on the Mediterranean, Turkey. Photo: IHA via AP.
“There will be planned movements backwards and forwards,” Akar told state news agency Anadolu in Antalya, southern Turkey, on Sunday.
Tensions flared last month between Turkey and Greece after Ankara sent Oruc Reis to map out possible oil and gas drilling prospects in waters claimed by Greece, Cyprus and Turkey.
Ankara faces potential sanctions from the European Union, which fully supports member states Greece and Cyprus, over the dispute. But many states, including Germany, want to defuse the stand-off through dialogue.
“A sanctions list exists as an option [against Turkey]. Our desire is not to see it implemented but it will be done if we see that the other side is not returning to the path of logic,” Mitsotakis said.
Greece will build a permanent migrant reception centre on Lesvos to replace the overcrowded refugee camp destroyed by a fire last week, Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said on Sunday.
The fire at the Moria reception centre last week left more than 12,000 people without shelter, forcing most to sleep out in the open without proper sanitation or access to food and water, and pushed the migration issue back up the European agenda.
Mitsotakis said the construction of a new reception centre on the island to replace the notoriously squalid and overcrowded Moria facility would be the chance to reset the policy behind handling migrant arrivals.
A woman washes a girl as migrants gather near Mytilene town, on the northeastern island of Lesbos, Greece, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020. Credit: AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris.
“We want to turn this problem into an opportunity,” Mitsotakis said.
“Europe should be a lot more involved in the management of the new centre wherever we finally decide it should be.”
He appeared to dismiss protests by Lesvos residents who have opposed the creation of a new centre, as well as by migrants demanding to be resettled away from the island.
“I want to say with absolute certainty that there will be a permanent reception and identification centre – I want to send this message in all directions,” he said.
Greek authorities began admitting migrants to temporary tent accommodation outside the main port of Mytilene on Saturday. In a concerning development, they identified what Mitsotakis said were “dozens” of cases of COVID-19.
Migrants were admitted to temporary tent accommodation outside the main port of Mytilene on Saturday. Photo: Reuters /
Officials had been worried about the potential for an uncontrolled spread of the disease from the Moria camp, which had been placed under quarantine before it burned down following the discovery of at least three dozen positive cases.
In the chaos following the fire on Wednesday, authorities lost sight of 35 people who had tested positive, deepening fears of an outbreak among migrants sleeping closely together without proper sanitation.
Earlier, Migration Minister, Notis Mitarachi, said he expected around 1,000 people could be settled in the new tented shelter on Sunday and more would be able to come in over the coming days.
“We want to ensure that everybody has a tent, food and water,” he told reporters.
Rizogalo is a traditional Greek style rice pudding flavored with vanilla beans and cinnamon. Rizogalo simply translates to “rice milk”; rizo means “rice” and galo is “milk” in Greek.
Apart from a great dessert, rizogalo is a comfort food and it can be served warm in winter and chilled in summer.
HOW TO MAKE RIZOGALO
The variety of rice used in making a rice pudding is very crucial. Even though its preparation and flavor hugely vary, the end product is always the same – rich and creamy. In order to get this consistency and texture, short-grained white rice is used.
Rizogalo is traditionally prepared using a Greek short-grain rice variety called glacé. The grains of this rice become soft and tender when cooked. They also stick to each other during cooking making the rizogalo thicker and creamier. This type of rice is also suitable for soups. The next best substitute is the Arborio rice, which has similar properties.
Key to making a decadent rizogalo is to stir it constantly to get the creamier texture. Slow cooked rice absorbs more starch and makes the pudding more luscious.
INGREDIENTS (Serves 4)
½ cup round rice
2 cups water
2 cups milk
½ cup caster sugar
1 tablespoon cornflour
1 vanilla pod
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
INSTRUCTIONS
In a non-stick pot, bring the rice and water to a boil and cook on low heat until the rice is cooked through (about 25 minutes)
At this stage, only very little water remains, and the result is like a kind of porridge. Mix everything.
Reserve a little milk and dilute the sugar and cornflour with a whisk.
Pour the rest of the milk into the rice and add the vanilla pod.
Heat slightly over medium-low heat while stirring, then pour the mixture of milk, sugar and cornflour.
Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly.
The tension in the Eastern Mediterranean, next Year’s 200th anniversary of the beginning of the Greek Revolution and the way Greece has tackled the coronavirus pandemic were some of the issues discussed in a recent online meeting between Chair and Deputy Chair of the Australia-Greece Parliamentary Friendship Group Dr Fiona Martin and Ms Maria Vamvakinou respectively, the Consul General of Greece in Australia Mr Christos Karras as well as the Australian Ambassador in Greece Mr Arthur Spyrou.
“We discussed bilateral issues concerning Greece and the Greek Diaspora in Australia. It was a very good, informative and constructive conversation that will strengthen our efforts to build on the Greek Australian relationship,” Dr Fiona Martin, told The Greek Herald referring to her Greek background.
“There is a number of federal employees in parliament with Greek heritage like Michael McCormack and Alex Hawke and of course, my paternal grandparents were from the island of Kastellorizo . My full name is Fiona Barbouttis – Martin and in Greek I’m known as Fotini”.
Dr Fiona Martin, Liberal federal member for the Sydney seat of Reid is the daughter of veteran Panhellenic (now Sydney Olympic) football player George Barbouttis and granddaughter of Markos Barbouttis, who had immigrated to Australia from Kastellorizo before World War II.
“Being the member for Reid is like traveling around the world in one day. We have migrant communities from China, Korea, India, Italy, Greece, Lebanon and so many more, and the diversity of our people is visible in our streets. I have great admiration for those who, like my grandparents, uprooted their lives to make a go of it in this lucky country,” Martin said almost a year ago, at her first Parliament speech.
“I think Australian Greeks have contributed significantly to Australian society and culture and this should be recognised”.
Maria Vamvakinou MP: ‘Australia – Greece relationship have always been healthy and active’
Speaking to The Greek Herald, Ms Vamvakinou, the Parliamentary Friendship Group’s Deputy Chair and Labor Federal Member for the Melbourne seat of Calwell, explained that Australia and Greece have always shared a “good and active relationship” and the purpose of the Group is to strengthen them further.
Ms Vamvakinou, the first Greek-born woman to be elected to the Parliament of Australia, has been a long advocate for Australia-Greece bilateral relations and has served as the Parliamentary Friendship Group’s Chair and Deputy Chair in previous parliaments.
“We have many federal MPs who have Greek-speaking communities in their electorates. For these MPs, this group is important so they can be in contact with the issues that concern their voters, ” said Ms Vamvakinou.
“We are all looking forward to the celebration of the Anniversary of the Greek War for Independence. We discussed the importance of this Anniversary for the Greek Diaspora and the way we can celebrate here with the same splendour that will be celebrated in Greece.
“We hope to hold an event in Parliament, in the presence of the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and other MPs,” Vamvakinou said, expressing the belief that “the Greek Church under the leadership of Archbishop Makarios will play an instrumental role in the preservation of the Greek language and culture especially for Greek-Australians third and fourth generation”.
Nicholas (Nick) Sorras is one of the most promising 22-year-old goalkeepers in Australia, who in only a few games has showed his incredible talent for Sydney Olympic.
The international goalkeeper is the “Guardian Angel” of the club, the continuation of his father George Sorras, who was an amazing defender and striker for Sydney Olympic in the 90’s.
Nicholas was born in Sydney on June 15, 1998. His parents were also born here, his father George, originally from Aigio, and his mother Maria, originally from Kavala. His parents and his brother Johnny are all active supporters of the Sydney Olympic keeper.
TGH: Nicholas, how did you start?
Nicholas Sorras: From a young age I watched the teams on the field like all Greeks – until my father, seeing his height, gave me a pair of goalkeeper gloves. Since then, my job is to keep as many people as I can from scoring a goal.
Sydney Olympic Goalkeeper Nicholas Sorras. Photo: Takis Triadafillou
I started at the age of 14-15 in the local teams. Under the guidance of my father and in personal training, I started to mature as a goalkeeper and ended up in the Mariners U16-U17. The Australian National Team then invited me to participate in the U-17 World Cup in Chile.
TGH: What were your experiences with the coaches?
Sydney Olympic Goalkeeper Nicholas Sorras.
Nicholas Sorras: It was quite big with the coaches and teammates during the World Cup campaign. We won and gained a lot.
Editor’s Note: Nicholas suffered from a serious eye injury which took approximately to recover. The Greek Australian goalie came back stronger, transferring to the Rockdale Suns for a year in 2018. In 2020, he transferred to Sydney Olympic.
Sydney Olympic 1st team. Photo: Sydney Olympic
TGH: How do you feel playing for Sydney Olympic; A historic Greek club where almost your entire family lives?
Nicholas Sorras: It’s a fantastic team with good players and a strong board. I believe that we are capable of winning the championship. Apply what you do in training.
TGH: You have Paul Henderson as your coach, how is he?
Nicholas Sorras: Paul or Hedo is a unique human personality and former goalkeeper and now coach of the goalkeepers. He provides all of his experience, especially his techniques on how to stand under the beams. He guides me and he has given me a lot of confidence under the beams.
TGH: In the previous game against Rockdale, you led the team with confidence.
Nicholas Sorras: Yes, although I do not have the mobility that the other teammates have on the pitch, I can call and guide them because I have the ability to have them in front of me.
TGH: What are your dreams in football?
Nicholas Sorras: First to play in the National Team of Australia, to play in the A League and to transfer to an England side. I think this is the best thing for a footballer. Of course I would like to play in Greece in the homeland of yiayia and papou.
TGH: In Sunday’s game against Marconi, you and the team managed to play extremely well.
Nicholas Sorras: Sunday’s game almost confirmed the saying, “you lose a goal, you will eat a goal”. Missing many opportunities in the first half, Marconi was ahead in the second. Our coach Ante Juric, with two changes, managed to turn the game around and win, albeit with difficulty, 2-1, with Madonis and Ferreira scoring. Awesome players. But the whole team is terrific. We have the mental strength until the last minutes.
Editors Note:
The position that receives, to an extent, the biggest criticism is that of the goalkeeper. Due to the uniqueness of the position, the goalkeeper often takes full responsibility for a negative result, despite the fact that the sport is a team game.
On the contrary, there are moments when he is a catalyst for his team, making saves, but a goal is able to steal his glory. Being a hero is just a moment away, a right or wrong reaction from the ‘scapegoat’.
Nicholas Sorras is admired not only for his skills, but for the maturity he has under the beams of the Sydney Olympic. Rare to be found at such a young age. So much so that it makes a footballer climb the stairs steadily one by one.
A day of relief for Victorians as the state recorded its lowest increase in coronavirus cases in more than two and a half months.
The state’s health department on Sunday reported 37 new infections. It would be the lowest rise since June 25 when there were 28 new cases.
There were also six new fatalities recorded in the 24-hour reporting period to 8pm Friday, bringing the state’s death toll to 716 and the national toll past 800.
#COVID19Data for 12 September, 2020. Yesterday there were 37 new cases reported and we are sad to report 6 lives lost. Our condolences to the friends and families affected. More information will be available later today. pic.twitter.com/Sr8SaTvPFt
Minor changes to Stage 4 restrictions will implemented from midnight on Sunday, allowing an extra hour before curfew comes into effect, an additional hour of allowed daily exercise and a “singles bubble”.
Further restrictions will ease in metropolitan Melbourne on September 28 provided the daily case average over 14 days is under 50.
Authorities have imposed, from today, a ‘mini lockdown’ in Greece’s northern regions to curb the spread of coronavirus.
Specifically, four regional units will be under restrictions, including Pella, Pieria, Western Macedonia’s Imathia and Kilkis in Central Macedonia.
Greece’s Civil Protection Operations Centre said that acting early and in a limited capacity is the right move by authorities, with officials hoping they will be able to contain the disease.
People, some of them wearing face masks against the spread of the new coronavirus, gather on Mykonos, Greece, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020. – Copyright AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis
Deputy Minister of Civil Protection and Crisis Management, Nikos Hardalia listed the following restrictions that will be applied to the municipalities:
Any kind of event such as parties, trade fairs, processions, public markets, etc. will be prohibited
Any kind of gathering of citizens over 9 people for any reason, both in public and in private, is banned
The dining areas can allow a maximum number of 4 people at each table unless they are close relatives, in which case up to 6 people are allowed.
Use of masks both outdoors and indoors will be mandatory
The measures will be in force for a period of two weeks – between 11 September and 25 September.
Greece’s health authorities announced 287 new coronavirus cases and three more deaths on Friday evening. The total infections reached 12,734 and death toll 300.
One day after the daily coronavirus cases in Greece broke an all time record, authorities announced that the number of Covid-19 patients in intubation is increasing.
“The number of intubated patients is of concern,” Epidemiology Professor and spokesman of the Health Ministry, Gkikas Majiorkinis, said during a live briefing on Friday.
The spokesperson also expressed his concern of an “over-spread of the virus at local level.”
Greece has begun setting up tents on Friday for thousands of migrants left without shelter on the island of Lesvos after a fire destroyed Greece’s biggest refugee camp three days ago.
The Municipality of Mytilini have expressed their opposition towards the development of any new refugee facility, saying they will do “anything possible” to ensure a decision is not carried out.
“The decision is final on this issue and it would be best for the competent authorities to understand this and cooperate,” the municipality said, calling on the government to “review its decision, before it is too late.”
The Municipality is not the only one with concerns however, with anger growing among residents of an island whose location a few miles (km) off the Turkish coast has kept them on the frontline of Europe’s migrant crisis for years.
Refugees and migrants from the destroyed Moria camp protest after the news about the creation of a new temporary camp on the island of Lesbos, Greece September 11, 2020. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis
“Moria is a monstrosity,” Dimitris Koursoubas, a senior official responsible for migration in the northern Aegean islands, told Reuters, saying the fire which destroyed the camp presented a “tragic opportunity” to find a new solution.
“We want all the migrants out, for national reasons. Moria is over,” he said.
Hoping to avoid a repeat of protests seen earlier this year, island authorities have not said where the shelters are being set up but helicopters with tents and other materials could be seen landing a few miles from the main port of Mytilene.
The emergency has once again highlighted Europe’s patchy response to a multi-year crisis that has seen more than a million migrants reach its shores.
“The clock has run out on how long Europe can be without a migration policy. Now is the time to change this,” Margaritis Schinas, the European commissioner responsible for migration and asylum policy, said at a press conference in Brussels.
