A bill on how to tackle hooligans has been under discussion at the House for years. It is hoped to be passed in time for the next season
THE PROBLEM of hooliganism appears to be showing no signs of abating despite promises by politicians for a clamp down.
Almost every weekend, fans clash with police and there is violence either on or off the pitch, with police and sports authorities appearing powerless to stop the problem.
Only last week, a bus carrying Anorthosis Famagusta volleyball fans was targeted by rock-throwing hooligans as it was driving down the Limassol-Nicosia highway.
According to police, a rock hurtled through the windshield, knocking out the driver and it was only thanks to the quick intervention by a passenger that the bus was brought to a screeching halt.
The problem of why hooliganism is continuing to plague sports on the island comes down to the inability of the necessary authorities to agree on what type of action to take.
Although last week’s incident involved a volleyball match, the biggest scenes of violence are seen in and around football and basketball matches.
In the last few years alone, hundreds of people have been arrested and charged by police in connection with sports related offences.
“The really effective decisions, in my opinion, will displease a lot of individuals involved in football and that is the basic reason why we are getting nowhere with the problem,” said Leonidas Leonidou, a former player with APOEL, Olympiacos Piraeus and Cyprus.
“In England, where the problem of football violence reached unbelievable proportions at one stage, a lot of money and a lot of sacrifices were made to tackle the problem. The big question is – are we capable of making the same sort of decisions?”
Also fed up with the problem is Police Chief Charalambos Koulentis, who has stated that the clubs are laying the blame on police and simply rakeing in the earnings from ticket sales and television rights.
“Personally, I don’t think that the associations and clubs do enough. There is definitely a legal platform that is missing and that is also one of the biggest problems we have in fighting hooliganism. The simple truth is that the only thing the sports clubs do is collect income from the games.”
The police chief also said courts need to become stricter in sentencing hooligans.
A brief glimmer of hope was given to the public in January last year when a team of sport and government officials flew to England to get some training from football and stadium experts there.
But hopes for decisive action were dashed when returning delegates told reporters that they had merely got some ideas and experience, but that they would have to take it up with the Cabinet. Since then, there has been no further announcement regarding new measures.
Asked why the delegation arrived back in Cyprus with no solid position on what do, British High Commission Director Nigel Baud, whose High Commissioner Peter Millet was one of its members, yesterday said, “The offer for British assistance remains open but we are waiting for a more concrete plan from the government. Nothing has happened yet but our assistance remains open.”
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Sofocles Sofocleous said that the England trip was not just a sight-seeing trip for the delegation, adding that the police are actively involved with countries abroad to help tackle the problem of violence in sports.
“The police force is in frequent contact with international organisations with regards to the current problem of violence at sports games. We will continue to take lessons from other countries, like England, which have long and rich traditions of tackling the problems of violence at sports games.”
However, all seem to agree that the biggest sticking point in the bringing the game out of disrepute stems mostly from proper measures of action currently being discussed at the House Legal Affairs Committee.
“The debate in parliament with regards to the bill has been going on for years now and it is a fact that we are very eager to see it passed,” said Koulentis. “I hope that our patience will pay off eventually because, as we have said many times, everyone needs a share of the responsibility, not just the police.”
According to committee chairman, Ionas Nicolaou, there have been some disagreements in the past with members of the Cyprus Football Association (CFA) over the bill. But despite the delays, things appear to be finally moving along he said.
“On Thursday, for example, we had some objections from the CFA representatives but after discussions we managed to agree. Our aim is to have the bill ready and hopefully approved just before the summer so it can be implemented before the start of the next sports season.”
Speaking from Athens yesterday, CFA President Costakis Koutsokoumnis, who believes the police should be doing more in stadiums, appeared less upbeat about the new bill, saying that even if it is implemented, it still doesn’t necessarily mean hooliganism will be rooted out.
“I believe that the police do enough work though not as much as we would have liked.
Not even the clubs truly realise what their responsibilities are and what they need to do… There is a perception that the clubs are in control of the masses but this might be a false perception”.
Commenting on the bill he added, “it needs a lot of changes and revisions and in general I don’t agree, like some politicians say, that the bill on its own will tackle violence. We also I have to think about the implementation part.”
While politicians and sports officials continue to bicker over technical issues and the finances of proper measures of action, the fact remains that hundreds of lives are endangered whether they go to a stadium or, in some cases, even live near a sportsground.
With the police and sports associations at loggerheads over who is to blame and who is supposed to do what, hooligans continue to run amok at highly-charged sports games.
