Katidis quickly became under 17, under 19 and then under 21 captain of Greece due to excellent performances while he was still playing for Aris FC. He was the captain of the under-19 team that lost in the final to Spain in the 2012 European Championship in Estonia. Scoring in a game on 16 March 2013, Katidis controversially celebrated the goal by giving the crowd a Nazi salute. Katidis later apologized. The Hellenic Football Federation imposed a lifetime ban on Katidis, barring him from participating in all Greek national teams.