Violence erupts after volley match

SIX MEN were injured before, during and after a volleyball game between Anorthosis and Omonia in Larnaca on Friday night, which ended in utter mayhem.

The Cyprus Volleyball Cup match, which had taken place at the Kitio Athletic Centre, had been attended by around 1,000 supporters.

Tension prevailed throughout the game, which ended with a 2-3 win for visiting Omonia, who were crowned the team 2009 champions.

Before it had even begun, fans entered the court and started hurling stones at each other. The police intervened and managed to calm the situation, though during the incident an officer of the Rapid Reaction Unit (MMAD) was injured on the hand and taken to Larnaca General Hospital, where he was treated and discharged.

There were more troubles as Omonia fans entered the stadium and came into conflict with the on-duty officers, resulting in one policeman being slightly injured in the face.

After the game ended, departing Anorthosis fans started hurling stones at parked police cars, slightly injuring an officer in the face. He too was treated at Larnaca hospital and discharged.

A bus waiting to transport Omonia fans back to Nicosia was also vandalised, with its windscreen and side windows being smashed by stones.

Larnaca CID is investigating the case.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.