POLICE were yesterday examining CCTV footage after a pre-season football friendly degenerated into violence on Thursday night.
New CCTV cameras were being put through a pre-season dress rehearsal at Limassol’s Tsirio stadium on Thursday night. They were put to the test almost from the moment they were switched on, as the ‘friendly’ between Apollon Limassol and Omonia Nicosia spiralled into mayhem inside and outside the ground.
Police and football officials yesterday expressed their deep concern over the outcome of what was meant to be “a friendly match between two friendly teams”, while Police Chief Iacovos Papacostas called for an urgent meeting to discuss how to act further.
The game was stopped five minutes before the final whistle.
The incidents began with objects hurled onto the pitch by supporters of both teams and continued outside the stadium. Damage was caused to parked cars and motorbikes, and within the stadium. The Omonia bus was also vandalised.
The entire Limassol police force, along with men from the Rapid Reaction Unit (MMAD), was summoned for help and eventually brought the situation under control without anyone being hurt.
But the violence has got police worried about the impending friendlies this weekend between Apollon and AEP Paphos and Ares Limassol-AEL Limassol, let alone the start of the season on September 1.
Incidents began at the 55th minute of the game, when fans started throwing bottles and other objects onto the pitch. The violence carried on outside the stadium, where fans threw stones at each other.
Police only had a small force on site, as the game was meant to be a friendly and violence was not anticipated.
Fans of Apollon are saying the violence was provoked by a banner held up by Omonia fans, which showed Cyprus split in two with the message: “Look what you’ve done.”
Omonia fans said the other team’s supporters continuously provoked them with chants referring to EOKA. Some were also displeased with the referee’s decisions during the game.
Limassol police chief Tassos Economides yesterday expressed his grave concern and stressed the incidents had not been expected as it was a friendly game between two teams that generally maintained a friendly relationship.
“Apollon football team requested a small police presence, taking into consideration that they would welcome to Limassol a friendly football club,” he told CyBC. “A football club with which they have not had problems in the recent past, so we covered the match with restricted forces.”
He added: “Unfortunately, before the match began, certain Omonia supporters did not want to comply, they broke the control line, invaded the pitch, they threw bottles and they held up a banner with a scathing political message.
“This is an unacceptable situation, which has nothing to do with sport.”
But this time the hooligans may be brought to book. Tsirio’s head technician, Costas Tsigaris, said the stadium’s CCTV system had operated for the first time on Thursday on a trial basis, in front of officials from the Cyprus Sports Association (KOA) and the police.
“It was the first day that the company had to present the system, in the presence of the police and members of KOA,” he explained, adding that all the incidents had been recorded. “The police are still examining them; they seized the tape last night.”
CCTV will continue to operate within the stadium.
Following a meeting at police headquarters, Police Chief Iacovos Papacostas said police were determined to take all necessary measures in order to restore safety in football grounds.
“As police, we will be very strict in our investigations; very strict in our decisions on whether a match should be stopped because a banner has been raised with insulting or other political messages or a fire was set or objects were thrown on the pitch,” he stressed.
“We will also provide the best possible security and greatest possible police powers to avert every form of violence in the pitch.”
