Number of arrests over Limassol football violence rises again
The number of arrests made in connection with the violent episodes which broke out at Sunday’s abandoned Limassol derby between Ael and Apollon rose to ten on Thursday, with the latest arrestee appearing in court on Thursday afternoon.
The man, aged 28 years old, was remanded in custody for three days, while a total of 26 people are still wanted by the police.
Earlier on Thursday, two men, aged 24 and 22 years old had also been handed three-day remands after having been arrested on Wednesday.
Three people had been remanded in custody for four days on Wednesday, while four people were remanded in custody for six days on Tuesday after being arrested shortly after the abandoned football match on Sunday night.
Sunday evening had been marred by violent scenes inside and outside Limassol’s Alphamega Stadium, with a large number of fans without tickets having entered the stadium.
Flares were then lit in the stands and Molotov cocktails were found by police, who then called for everyone inside the stadium to leave and be rechecked for tickets and banned items.
However, the fans refused to leave the stadium, and the match was abandoned.
Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis on Tuesday called on football clubs to isolate what he referred to as “100, 500 or even 1,000 mindless thugs”, adding that those responsible for the incidents “fired flares at people who were simply doing their jobs”.
He also criticised the Cyprus Football Association (CFA) for not “taking further action” in advance of the fixture, adding that the government had been urging them to take measures but had not seen sufficient determination to this end.
The violent scenes occurred on just the third week in which away fans were allowed back into football stadiums after having been banned following previous violence earlier in the year.
Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis had reportedly been in favour of the ban being extended into the new season, but the CFA’s board of directors was unanimous in its decision.
Away fans had been banned from all competitive football matches in January after a firecracker launched from a stand hit a player in the head during a Coca Cola Cup match between Nea Salamina and Apoel, with the player reportedly suffering damaged hearing as a result.
Just days later in January, another Limassol derby was cancelled due to violence inside and outside the Alphamega Stadium.