Mihalis Filopoulos (Murder Victim) Wiki, Biography, Age, Wife, Family, Net Worth

Coordinates: 37°57′13″N 23°51′38″E  /  37.95361°N 23.86056°E  / 37.95361; 23.86056 Mihalis Filopoulos (Greek: Μιχάλης Φιλόπουλος ) (1985–2007) was a 22-year-old Panathinaikos fan who was stabbed to death on March 29, 2007 at Paiania, a town near Athens, Greece, during a pre-arranged clash with rival Hooligans of Olympiakos. His death caused major upset in Greece and sparked a large police investigation into the organised supporters scene.

A volleyball game between Panathinaikos’ and Olympiakos’ women teams was scheduled to take place on March 29, 2007 in Paiania, for the Greek volleyball cup. Since this was a women’s event, not much police force was assigned to it (usually men’s games between the two teams are classed as very high risk). Therefore, Hooligans from both sides sought the opportunity to organise a full-scale clash unobstructed by police. Indeed, news about the meeting in Paiania (later called “rendez-vous of death” by the media) were circulating in supporters clubs and web sites and at least 400 people knew about it beforehand.

On 6 December 2007, it became known that legal discrepancies in the way suspects were examined by the police, rendered their statements invalid, even though some had confessed. This resulted in the case of manslaughter being put in the archives and legal proceedings to be filed only for minor charges. Two days later, after an amateur football match at Lykovrysi between the home team and Pangrati, 20 persons wearing hoods, attacked with crowbars and clubs 3 players of the away team, among them Nikos Stylianesis, who was one of those charged but later released for Filopoulos murder.