On February 2nd, 2022, just a few hours after the murder of Alkis Kampanos, Sergio Araujo scored a magnificent goal against Aris during the 21st matchday of the Super League. He dedicated it to Alkis, forming the letter “A” with his fingers and waving away his teammates as they rushed to embrace him, essentially refusing to celebrate. When our Structure commenced its activities, it selected a series of actions, and from the outset, honoring the AEK athlete was placed high on the relevant list. Upon the finalization of the play-offs dates, contacts began with the officials of AEK FC and the player himself; despite his injury and his anticipated absence from the match, his desire to attend the ceremony deeply moved us and once again demonstrated what an exceptional human being he is. Thus, the award ceremony was “finalized” to take place before the kickoff of the ARIS – AEK match at “Kleanthis Vikelidis” stadium (14/05, 20:00), where the Argentine athlete will be honored not for his athletic performance, but because he serves as a role model against fan violence. Our Structure issued an announcement regarding this action:
“On Saturday night, Sergio Araujo will step onto the pitch of ‘Kleanthis Vikelidis’. He has not overcome his injury and will not compete in his team’s crucial game against Aris, but the reason for his presence pertains to our Structure’s decision to highlight actions and reward the PEOPLE who perform them. Structure IN THE NAME OF ALKIS had decided many weeks ago to honor him for the stance displayed by this great athlete and man during his stunning goal in the game on February 2nd, just hours after the brutal murder of Alkis Kampanos. His injury temporarily ‘disrupted’ the plans; however, his desire to attend, combined with the cooperation of AEK and Aris, brings him to Thessaloniki. A representative of our Structure will honor Sergio Araujo before the start of the match to emphasize the fact that we need many ‘beacons’ of empathy, such as the great Argentine athlete, to illuminate the path toward changing fan culture.”
