Two of Greece's top football clubs, Olympiacos Volou and Kavala, have been relegated and their chairmen banned for life following a match-fixing scandal that forced Greece to seek emergency assistance from UEFA, newspaper reports said Friday, dpa reported.
The Super League also fined the clubs 300,000 euros (430,000 dollars) each, according to the Greek daily Kathimerini newspaper.
Both clubs have said they will fight the decision in an effort to remain in the 16-team Super League, arguing that the club officials accused of match-fixing have not yet gone on trial.
The verdict has not yet affected Volou's Europa League fixture with Luxembourg side Differdange. The Greeks lead 3-0 from Thursday's opening leg in Luxembourg with the return leg scheduled for August 4.
Greece's ruling Socialist government has promised to battle corruption in professional football, saying that it may be forced to delay the start of the new season which is scheduled to begin on August 27.
Earlier this week, Michel Platini, head of European football's governing body UEFA, said he would send experts to Greece to help clean up the game