Jailed Greek boss angered by cellphone advert

Published: 05 Jan 2012 - 18:46:46

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Jailed Greek boss angered by cellphone advert

A Greek football boss jailed in a match-fixing probe has threatened to sue a telecoms company over a hugely popular TV advert series which he says are based on his likeness, news reports said on Thursday.

Makis Psomiadis, presumed owner of northern Greek club Kavala FC, complained that the ads are "clearly" based on his person and portray him as a criminal.

"I strongly protest the use of elements of my personality without my consent, and in a way that brutally offends my personality," Psomiadis said in his complaint to Wind telecoms company, released by news sites.

The TV adverts are built around a shady football impresario trying to offload his club to Arab investors, and later shown in a police cell.

The character addresses his associates as 'lovey', a term popularly associated with 55-year-old Psomiadis, one of Greece's most notorious football figures.

A decade ago, Psomiadis, who is rarely seen without a cigar, was convicted of forgery but avoided prison after claiming to suffer from tuberculosis.

He later ran Athens powerhouse AEK FC, winning a Greek Cup in 2002 but leaving under a cloud with the club later accusing him of embezzling massive sums.

A court in December moved to freeze Psomiadis' family assets over the case.

AEK fans also accuse their ex-chief of appropriating club trophies.

Psomiadis is currently imprisoned in neighbouring Macedonia, where he was arrested in November after fleeing Greece to avoid a match-fixing probe.

Greek authorities are basing their case on phone recordings which Psomiadis says were illegally obtained.

The former newspaper owner and nightclub operator had previously been caught in September hiding in a villa near Athens, and claimed to be a 'political prisoner'.

He was later conditionally released after judicial authorities failed to agree on whether to place him in pre-trial detention.