Greek Cup final to be held in Greece but without fans

The Greek Cup final between AEK Athens and PAOK will take place in the central Greek town of Volos on May 24 without fans, the Hellenic Football Federation (EPO) said on Friday.

The AEK-PAOK fixture is considered high risk for crowd trouble and has become a major headache for the Greek FA, which was in discussions with a Polish municipality and Cypriot authorities after failing to find a suitable stadium at home.

Cyprus turned down a request to host the match citing public security concerns.

In a statement on Friday, the Greek FA said that the match will take place in Volos but if this was not possible for any reason, the match will be held in Elbasan, Albania, on May 24 or the next available date.