Olympiacos-PAOK: Spanish ref assigned to ensure impartiality
The Greek Football Federation has adopted the habit of employing foreign referees for the fiercely contested Super League 1 fixture.
The Greek Football Federation has assigned Spanish referee José María Sánchez Martínez to officiate the Super League 1 clash between Olympiacos and PAOK on 1 December in the Karaiskakis Stadium.
Greece often calls on Spanish referees
The Greek federation has for some time adopted the habit of bringing in a foreign referee for the fixture, which has traditionally been one of the feistiest in world football due to the rivalry between the cities of Piraeus and Thessaloniki. The practice has extended to other recent games, with David Fernández Borbalán taking charge of the 2018 Greek Cup final between AEK Athens and PAOK while Jesús Gil Manzano refereed PAOK-Olympiacos last February.
Sánchez Martínez has also officiated in Greece before, when he oversaw PAOK vs Chelsea in the Europa League in the 2018-19 season.
PAOK and Olympiacos are currently neck and neck at the top of the Greek Super League having won eight and drawn three of their 11 domestic fixtures so far.