Four officers injured in football violence

FOUR policemen were injured Sunday in the latest outbreak of football violence. Police are examining CCTV footage from the GSP stadium in Nicosia, but so far there have been no arrests.

Trouble erupted after the final whistle at a league fixture between APOEL and AEL, teams whose die-hard fans have a long-running vendetta.

Stadium authorities and police had devised security arrangements to keep the two sets of fans apart by allowing the home team supporters to leave the grounds first. With the final whistle, loudspeakers instructed the visiting AEL supporters to remain in their seats while the APOEL fans exited the stadium. The majority complied.

But according to the police, a group of around 20 AEL fans started pushing and banging on the door on the northern terrace, eventually breaking it down. Some 200 AEL supporters then rushed outside and headed in the direction of the home fans.

Riot squad units and police deployed between the two sets of fans, and were caught in the middle of a blitz of sticks and stones. Police used tear gas to disperse the mob.

Three policemen sustained light injuries, and a fourth suffered an arm contusion.

Yesterday the Police Association released a statement both condemning the incidents and warning that “this situation will no longer be tolerated.”

The association accused club officials of trying to shift the blame for bouts of hooliganism onto the police. It also warned of an anticipated rise in sports violence as the season gradually draws to a close.

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