A Greek official confirmed on Thursday that his country is testing the Athens Olympic Stadium after the European Football Confederation (UEFA) expressed concern about the stadium's position during last week's match between AEK Athens and Bayern Munich.
The vice-minister of culture and sports, Jurgos Vasiliades, said he asked for an investigation into the stadium's status after the Continental Union drew the attention of Greek officials to a rolling tape through the communication sites, showing the tremor of the upper part of the stands during the match, which ended with the victory of the Bavarian guest 2-0.
"There is cause for concern, but this will not prevent us from taking every initiative to ensure the safety of the fans fully," Vasiliadis stressed in remarks.
"I recommend calm because all the required steps will be taken, we will wait for the technical inquiry and determine the next steps, there is no specific reason to worry at this stage," he said.
The 70,000-seat stadium, which dates back to 1982, has "the best technical standards" and has undergone extensive rehabilitation before the 2004 Athens Olympics, the official said.
"Every 7 years the stadium is subject to detection by a specialized committee," he said, adding: "Vibration is repeated in the stadium like any stadium with overhead stands, but we will do everything we can to be 100 percent confident that the facility is completely safe."
