ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Former Greece football captain Theo Zagorakis has been expelled from the country's conservative group of European Parliament members following a public dispute over his former club team PAOK.

Zagorakis, 48, captained Greece to its 2004 European Championship triumph and ended his 19-year professional career at PAOK three years later.

Zagorakis spoke out against the conservative government in Greece after PAOK faced the threat of relegation over an alleged infringement of ownership rules.

On Tuesday, the government said it was planning to introduce a legal amendment that would prevent the club based in the northern city of Thessaloniki from being relegated, but it also announced Zagorakis' expulsion.

First elected to the European Parliament in 2014, Zagorakis is likely to stay on as an independent.