League leaders and title favourites Anorthosis Famagusta will know today on the outcome of their game against Apollon Limassol last Sunday, after it was called off by referee Loizos Trattos after the goalkeepers of both sides where injured from objects thrown from the stand.
The Cyprus Football Association (CFA) disciplinary committee is set to look into the referees match report today [Tuesday] and decide on the outcome of the game. Various scenarios are already being rumoured with some saying that the game will be replayed behind closed doors whereas other are suggesting that the game will be ruled as a 0-0 result, something which will hugely favour Anorthosis’ title rivals APOEL, currently five points behind the leaders.
The game, which was called off by Trattos in the 43rd minute, was stopped just after Anorthosis’ second goal in which they had sprinted into a 2-0 lead after Apollon’s goalkeeper Sofronis Avgoustis was allegedly struck on the leg by a firework thrown from the stand where Anorthosis fans were stationed behind his goal. Apollon had started the brighter side missing some great chances through Lukasz Sosin and Marios Antoniou but they were later pegged back as player manager Timuri Ketsbaia scored with a trademark finish before Nicos Nicolaou tucked away the second from the penalty spot seconds before Avgoustis fell to the ground in holding his leg from the firework blast.
The interruption of the game brought about a fiery reaction from the Anorthosis officials who told LTV after the game that they could not understand why the referee stopped the game.
Meanwhile at the other hand, television cameras captured what appeared to be a stone or coin striking Anorthosis goalkeeper Antonis Georgallides on the shoulder before he also fell to the ground clutching his shoulder.
Anorthosis assistant coach Spyros Kastanas said, “The stadium doctor told us that nothing was wrong with Avgoustis’ leg so why did the referee stop the game. We cannot believe what is going on here.”
Meanwhile the Apollon doctor stated that Avgoustis had suffered a burn on his leg, something which the referee mentioned his match report as well as other comments like Georgallides’ injury from a stray object as well as the ‘endless amount of objects thrown onto the pitch throughout the opening 43 minutes.
The matter flared up on television later on in the evening with Anorthosis and Apollon officials arguing over whether the game should have ended or not.
The manager of Georgallides, Martin Clark, told the Cyprus Mail that the real issue here is why they are allowed to get the flares and fireworks into the ground in the first place.
“There is a blatant lack of security of security at the stadium because at the game against APOEL we were heavily checked going into the ground. With Anorthosis’s stadium there are various ways in which people smuggle in flares and fireworks like fireworks being planted in the grounds the day before. I have even heard of second team players smuggling in fireworks.
“The point is everybody knows how it is done but they don’t do anything about it. The only way for them to learn is if, God forbid, someone is seriously injured or even killed.”
In the other game on Saturday APOEL grabbed a vital win away to Ethnikos Achnas with Marios Neophytou’s early goal to move temporarily two points behind Anorthosis, Dighenis Morphou kept their first division status intact with a 6-2 demolition of Alki Larnaca, Omonia climbed into third place with 1-0 over Nea Salamina and the game between Aris Limassol and Enosis Neon Paralimniou ended 1-1. The other games between AEK Larnaca and Olympiakos Nicosia and AEL Limassol and AEP Paphos ended in 0-0 draws.
