HOOLIGANS vented their rage at police and VIPs this weekend as the latest bout of football violence left four policemen injured. No arrests were made.
The trouble broke out at Limassol’s Tsirio stadium where hosts Apollon lost 2-1 to visitors Apoel dropping to fourth spot in the top flight standings.
Shortly before kickoff, a group of 200 Apollon fans rushed police at the turnstiles and managed to get in without body checks. During the ‘swarm’ – an increasingly popular tactic – three police officers were struck and later had to receive treatment for light injuries.
As the game progressed and the flow went against the home team, an angry mob wielding crowbars slipped outside and headed for the VIP section, hurling stones at the entrance, injuring a private security officer and damaging two police patrol cars.
After the final whistle, a group of some 60 Apollon supporters again gathered outside the VIP section, pelting police with rocks. At least one policeman was injured after being hit by a firecracker.
Apoel meanwhile are protesting the appointment of Bulgarian referee Anton Genov. The club has hinted the official was biased against their side during the match, claiming he made a string of blatant errors including a late sending-off of a midfielder.
Apoel further accused the Cyprus Football Association (KOP) of making a mess of hiring foreign referees to officiate local fixtures, by failing to carry out sufficient background checks on the officials.
The local FA decided to bring referees from abroad on a pilot basis in the hope foreigners could not be accused of having sympathies with local teams.
But it has emerged that the Bulgarian referee in question has been suspended from officiating European fixtures, including international, Champions League or Europa League games. Genov was banned pending an investigation into “obvious irregular betting patterns” around an international friendly between Macedonia and Canada last November.
In that match, Genov awarded four penalties, two to each side, during Macedonia’s 3-0 victory in Strumica. Betting operators reportedly were alerted by the number of wagers placed on at least three goals being scored and on the number of penalties awarded.
Shortly after, the Bulgarian Football Union fired its referee commission which has responsibility for appointing officials to matches and assessing their performance.
Although the ban on Genov apparently does not extend to domestic league fixtures, Apoel yesterday questioned the Football Association’s wisdom in appointing a referee who is under probation.
In a letter addressed personally to FA chairman Costakis Koutsokoumnis, the club slammed the FA’s screening process for referees, and called for a return to Cypriot officials unless the situation improved.
Asked why they did not protest Genov’s appointment before the game, an Apoel spokesman said yesterday they did not know the identity of the official until about 30 minutes before kickoff.
“This has been standard practice for some weeks now. They don’t tell us who the referee is until the last moment,” the spokesman said.
