Olympiakos ask for asset freeze on Rivaldo

Greek champions Olympiakos on Wednesday asked for a court freeze on the assets of their Brazilian former star Rivaldo after he reportedly cast doubt about their recent championship victory and past title wins, the club said.

The motion is designed to secure the payment of damages from a five-million-euro (7.8-million-dollar) defamation suit filed against the player and the chairman of his current club AEK Athens last week.

“An injunction application has been filed against Rivaldo,” a club spokesperson told AFP.

“It asks for the freeze of his property up to the sum of five million euros to cover the compensation demanded by Olympiakos,” the spokesperson said.

The injunction will be examined on July 2. The defamation case is slated for a 2009 hearing.

Rivaldo spent three seasons at Olympiakos (2004-2007) and won three championships there.

According to reports, AEK chairman Demis Nikolaidis and Rivaldo last month made remarks in the team changing room accusing Olympiakos of having won the championship that ended last month on a technicality.

Nikolaidis reportedly also accused Greek football federation chairman Vassilis Gagatsis of helping Olympiakos to the title, while Rivaldo reportedly cast doubt on the championships he won whilst playing at the Piraeus club.

“While at Olympiakos, I heard that many Greek federation officials are in the club's employ,” the Brazilian reportedly said.

“I have doubts about the three championships I won there.”

In February, Olympiakos had dropped three points in a loss to Apollon Kalamarias but the Greek federation reversed the result after Apollon were revealed to have fielded an ineligible player.

A subsequent appeal by Apollon to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to hold up validation of the Greek league standings was dismissed, opening the way for Olympiakos to be crowned champions.

The Greek federation said it will also sue the AEK chairman for defamation.