Olympiakos-PAOK match abandoned after manager hit by paper roll

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The eagerly awaited derby between Greek league leader PAOK and defending champion Olympiakos at PAOK's Toumba Stadium never got underway Sunday, after Olympiakos coach Oscar Garcia was sent to hospital after being hit in the face by a cash register paper roll.

While they did not dispute the hit, PAOK officials said Olympiakos exaggerated the impact in an attempt to have PAOK, which is six points ahead of Olympiakos, face punishment and possible point deduction.

"This is a shadow play, a strategy that Olympiakos started implementing even ahead of the game, fantasizing about (incidents) in its friendly media," said PAOK communications chief Kyriakos Kyriakos. "Just this morning, they warned us that they would leave the pitch at the slightest incident."

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Garcia was rushed to a hospital, but the teams stayed in the stadium for nearly three hours before they were told the game was off.

The private clinic where Garcia was taken issued a statement about five hours after the coach was admitted, saying his upper left lip was swollen and skin on the inside of his mouth was injured.

"He has sensitivity in the jaw, neck pain, dizziness and nausea," the clinic statement says.

Garcia was scheduled to stay at the hospital overnight.

Witnesses claimed the roll had already unfolded when it reached Garcia.

No away fans were allowed at the game and PAOK supporters were unusually well-behaved ahead of kickoff. The often seen spectacle of flares creating a wall of thick smoke was absent. Instead, home fans greeted their team throwing pieces of torn paper, like confetti — and the cash register paper roll.

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