MEMBERS OF the Peyia municipality and the local football club, APOP Kiniras, are threatening to sue a number of residents over what they claim is a slanderous campaign.
According to newspaper reports, the mayor and APOP management are unhappy about a small element of ‘foreign residents’, who they claim are spreading lies about the expenditure of the 2008 municipality budget.
Mayor of Peyia Neofitos Akourshiotis is reported as telling Phileleftheros newspaper that lies are being spread about the municipality budget. Akourshiotis said the group are claiming €2 million was given to APOP Kiniras last year out of the budget, but that this isn’t true, and only a subsidy of €150,000 was handed over. The mayor was yesterday was unavailable for comment.
The newspaper report concluded that the president of the Peyia team wants to take the ‘foreigners’ to court, and the municipality is considering taking the same course of action.
The situation may have flared up over comments made last year by Peyia councillor Linda Leblanc, which have been misquoted and taken out of context, in subsequent media reports.
According to Leblanc, Peyia municipality has an annual budget of €6 million, and more than €2 million has gone to the local club, and the stadium. Some media reported, incorrectly, that this figure went solely to the football club.
A percentage of the money was used make some improvements to the stadium to meet EU regulations and crowd control requirements. And a further €800,000 went on new seating and a separate training field.
Leblanc told the Cyprus Mail, “I would like to reiterate and to clarify my position about recent allegations against me concerning APOP Kiniras Football club.
“I have stated that last year, in 2008, about one third of the Peyia Municipality budget expenses concerned the stadium, and the football club. It is unfortunate that this has been misunderstood in some quarters, and subsequently incorrectly reported that I said that the football team received a subsidy of €2 million. I never said this.”
She added, “I have nothing against athletics or football. I would like to make a point in general about the right of the public to information.
“My goal is transparency, open and participatory government, and my position is that the public have the right to know how its’ money is to be spent by the municipality.”
The budget allocated to Peyia stadium and football team for 2008 was an unusually high amount due to upgrading work, and will be far less this year.
A Peyia resident, who wished to remain anonymous said, “This ‘them and us’ mentality is appalling. We are a community and we all pay our taxes.
“All the residents, of any nationality, have a right to know where our money is being spent. If this story is true and the mayor, and the football team are threatening what they refer to as ‘foreign’ people over a misunderstanding, it’s a shame on us as Cypriots, and also for Peyia.”
