Abraham Grant Tapped to Aid Greek Club Aris Thessaloniki on Referee Issues

Aris Thessaloniki, a Greek football club, is reportedly hoping that Israeli advisor Abraham Grant will leverage his international connections to help address the contentious issue of foreign referees in the league. Grant joined Aris in the summer as a consultant, with a broad role encompassing both professional aspects and club development off the field. A recent report in the Greek publication Sportime suggests the club expects Grant's experience and global ties, particularly with individuals close to European refereeing circles like those connected to UEFA's head of refereeing, Roberto Rosetti, to be beneficial.

The club's frustration with foreign officiating was particularly evident after their recent derby match against PAOK. The game was officiated by Italian referee Andrea Colombo, with Italian VAR officials also involved. Aris expressed strong dissatisfaction with the refereeing decisions, with head coach Michalis Grigoriou dedicating much of his post-match comments to the issue. The club even requested access to the referee-VAR audio recordings from several controversial moments.

This discontent led Aris to boycott events celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Greek Football Federation, despite receiving an invitation. Sportime attributed this absence to the club's protest against the derby's officiating and broader perceived problems within Greek football. The use of foreign referees, especially in derby matches, has been a recurring and sensitive topic in Greek football, with decisions made to continue their use in first-round derbies for the 2026/27 season, though discussions about reinstating Greek referees for such games are ongoing.