The 2022–23 Super League 2, known as Super League 2 betsson for sponsorship reasons, is the fourth season of the Super League 2, the second-tier Greek professional league for association football clubs, since the restructuring of the Greek football league system.
The season is set to start on 4 November 2022 and will finish on 20 June 2023. The league will be conducted of 30 teams and two groups, this is due to the restructure and abolishment of the Football League. The B Teams of Olympiacos, PAOK, Panathinaikos and AEK Athens will also compete in the league for a second consecutive year. B Teams, however, are ineligible for promotion or relegation.
On 22 July 2022, Greek Football Federation decided the promotion of the winners of both groups, removing the past play off system that existed last season.[1]
The league was indefinitely suspended on 2 February 2023 by a unanimous decision from all 30 teams, as the Minister of Sports Lefteris Avgenakis announced that €1,700,000 are to be awarded to the Super League 2 teams from taxation of betting companies instead of the €5,100,000 that the teams claim to have been agreed at the start of the season, leading to great financial instability for all of the teams.[2] On 8 February 2023, Avgenakis declined having agreed to a total funding of €5,100,000, and stated that he will not discuss with the 30 teams unless they resume the league.[3] On 22 February 2023, the Super League Greece 2 president Leoutsakos stated that he would resign if funding was found.[4] On 8 March 2023, after Leoutsakos' resignation, Super League 2 elected Petros Martsoukos as a new president,[5] and agreed to resume the championship, and opting to communicate with Avgenakis for funding, as Avgenakis had set a prerequisite for funding that Leoutsakos is removed from president of Super League 2.[6] The talks between Martsoukos and Avgenakis did not start immediately as Rokakis, the adversary of Martsoukos for the Super League 2 presidency, appealed the result of the election. The appeal was rejected on 11 April 2023.[7] On 26 April 2023, Avgenakis and Martsoukos agreed for a total funding of €2,542,000 for the 24 Super League 2 teams, since B teams were excluded, as well as Apollon Larissa and Irodotos who had withdrawn from the league at the time.[8]
Source: sl2.gr Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Goal difference; 5) Goals scored; 6) Goals against; 7) Play-offs (neutral ground); 8) Draw. (Note: Criteria 7 is only used if needed to decide champion, teams for relegation). (C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated; (W) Withdrew Notes:
^ abPAOK B and Panathinaikos B are ineligible for promotion and relegation.
^3 points are deducted permanently from Iraklis by decision of the Court of Arbitration of the HFF. Another 3 points are deducted provisionally from Iraklis by decision of the Court of Arbitration of the HFF.
^6 points are deducted permanently from Anagennisi Karditsa by decision of the Court of Arbitration of the HFF.
^ abcHead to head points (goals): Makedonikos 6 (3-2), Panathinaikos B 5 (7-8), Diagoras 4 (6-6).
^3 points are deducted provisionally from Thesprotos by decision of the Court of Arbitration of the HFF.
^Apollon Larissa had been deducted 9 points for not obtaining a league license. They had additionally been deducted 21 points for penalties from not having paid players on time. The 21 points were returned to the club on 15 November 2022, after confirmation from the League that all debts towards players were paid.[52] On 9 December 2022 the court of the Hellenic Football Federation returned the 9 league license related points to Apollon Larissa.[53] On 24 January 2023, three points were deducted from Apollon Larissa due to debts towards Juan Villa.[54] Ultimately, on 19 March 2023, and after suffering a further 3 point deduction, Apollon Larissa withdrew from the league and the remaining games will be ceded as 3–0 victories to the opposing teams.[55]
Source: sl2.gr Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win. For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants. Notes:
^ abcdefghijklmnoApollon Larissa lost the game 0–3 by forfeit, as a result of their withdrawal from the championship.
^On 12 March 2023, while the match Iraklis - Apollon Larissa was at 6–0, at the 54th minute, players of Apollon Larissa fell on the ground, stating that they are injured. The game was suspended at the expense of Apollon Larissa, and forfeited with 6–0.[56]
^On 7 April 2023, while the match Niki Volos - AEL was at 1–2 and after an invasion from fans of both clubs, the match was suspended.[57] On 5 May 2023, the match was awarded 3-0 to AEL. Niki made an appeal and on 14 June the Court gave back the one point, and annulled the first decision.[58]
Source: sl2.gr Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Goal difference; 5) Goals scored; 6) Goals against; 7) Play-offs (neutral ground); 8) Draw. (Note: Criteria 7 is only used if needed to decide champion, teams for relegation). (C) Champions; (E) Expelled; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated Notes:
^3 points are deducted permanently from Panachaiki by decision of the Court of Arbitration of the HFF. Another 3 points are deducted provisionally from Panachaiki by decision of the Court of Arbitration of the HFF.
^Olympiacos B are ineligible for promotion and relegation. Olympiacos B are deducted 5 points from the HFF because of forfeiting the match against Athens Kallithea.[121] Olympiacos B are additionally deducted 5 points from the HFF because of forfeiting the match against Kifisia.[122]
^ abHead to head results: Olympiacos B - Egaleo 2-1, Egaleo - Olympiacos B 0-0.
^AEK Athens B are ineligible for promotion and relegation.
^ abHead to head results: AEK Athens B - Proodeftiki 3-0, Proodeftiki - AEK Athens B 0-0.
^Irodotos had been deducted 9 points for not obtaining a league license. Irodotos were deducted an additional 6 points for debts on footballers.[123] The 6 points were returned to Irodotos, and on 9 December 2022 the court of the Hellenic Football Federation returned the 9 league license related points to Irodotos.[53][124] On 24 January 2023, three points were deducted from Irodotos due to debts towards Lamion Lezzo.[54] On 3 February 2023, Irodotos had the 3 points returned.[125] On 6 April 2023, Irodotos were deducted a further 15 points and got expelled from the championship, as the president Katerina Tsantiraki did not pay the existing debts.[126]
Source: sl2.gr Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win. For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants. Notes:
^ abcdefghijkIrodotos lost the game 0–3 by forfeit, as a result of their expulsion from the championship.
^On 4 January 2023, while the match A.E. Kifisia - Irodotos was at 2–0, several Irodotos' players claimed to be injured, leaving the team of Irodotos to play with 6 players on the pitch. As a result, the match was forfeited at the expense of Irodotos and the game was awarded 3–0 to Kifisia.[127]
^On 19 December 2022, during the half time of the match Athens Kallithea - Olympiacos B and with Athens Kallithea leading 2–1, Olympiacos B withdrew from the match to protest about the refereeing, and as a result did not enter the field to play the second half. Therefore, the match was awarded 3–0 to Kallithea and Olympiacos were deducted 5 points from the league and will be deducted an additional 5 points from the next season.[121]
^Since the eligibility of Episkopi players for the league had been because of debts of the club on 4 January 2023,[128] the match Episkopi - Athens Kallithea, scheduled for 7 January 2023, never started at the expense of Episkopi. On 14 February 2023, the match was forfeited 0–3 to Athens Kallithea.[129]
^Originally scheduled to be played on 7 January 2023, one week after Irodotos' could not finish the game against A.E. Kifisia because of claiming to have the whole team injured and ending up playing with 6 players, the match did not start as Irodotos' claimed that their players had gastroentertis and asked for the match to be postponed.[130] Despite this, AEK B brought players to the pitch normally, announced a lineup, and waited for the game to start[131] as Super League 2 did not postpone the game.[132] Eventually, Irodotos fielded 6 players as a starting lineup, which is less than the minimum 7, leading for the match to be forfeited at the expense of Irodotos.[133] On 14 February 2023, the match was forfeited 0–3 to AEK B.[129] Irodotos appealed the decision, and on 7 March Irodotos won the appeal, therefore the game was rescheduled.[134] On 29 March 2023, the match was conducted, and AEK won 4–0.
^On 7 January 2023, two weeks after the departure of Olympiacos B for protests against the referees at the match against Athens Kallithea, while the score was at 0–0, at the 23rd minute, Olympiacos' player Ioannis Kosti faced a red card for a harsh tackle. Following severe protests from Olympiacos players and officials, Olympiacos B withdrew from the match, and the game was forfeited at the expense of Olympiacos B. An announcement from Super League 2 regarding the result of the game is pending.[135][136] On 10 March 2023, the match was forfeited 0-3 to A.E. Kifisia, with Olympiacos B additionally having a 5 point deduction from the current and the next league.[122]
^Originally scheduled to be played on 4 January 2023, the match PAO Rouf - Episkopi did not start as Episkopi had financial debts to the Hellenic Football Federation. Further announcement from the Hellenic Football Federation is pending for the result of the match. On 23 March 2023, the match was awarded on paper 3-0 to PAO Rouf.[137]
