Greek national team forward Fotis Ioannidis has been ruled out of upcoming international fixtures due to a knee ligament injury he initially played through, prompting a last-minute squad change.
The Greek Football Federation confirmed Ioannidis sustained a right knee medial collateral ligament injury and is expected to be sidelined for four to six weeks. He is a forward for Portuguese club Sporting.
The injury occurred during Sporting’s 2-1 victory against Santa Clara in Ponta Delgada. Ioannidis finished the match without immediately recognizing the severity of the damage.
He began feeling discomfort later and complained at the team hotel. The player returned from the Azores using crutches as a precaution. Subsequent examinations in Lisbon confirmed the ligament injury.
National team coach Ivan Jovanovic called up Andrews Tetteh of Kifisias to replace Ioannidis. Tetteh is reportedly linked with a move to Panathinaikos.
Jovanovic also brought in Tasos Bakasetas after Constantelias suffered an injury.