DESPITE the pleas for calm before the APOEL-Omonia football derby and the largest ever police presence at the game, hooligans caused still caused mayhem on Saturday leaving one police officer stabbed.
Before the game President Demetris Chrstofias had ordered police to be “unrelenting and merciless” in their fight against hooliganism, while APOEL president Fivos Erotokritou and Omonia president Miltiades Neophytou implored fans to be calm during and after the game.
But it appears as if their pleas fell on deaf ears as once again the game was marred with extreme violence.
The 30-year-old off-duty policeman, who is part of the presidential guard was dragged out of his car by two men wearing hoods and was stabbed three times before the game. He was wearing an Omonia scarf.
The incident occurred at 5pm, about an hour before kick off at the Latsia flyover towards Nicosia. The policeman was a passenger in the car when two APOEL fans attacked the vehicle he was in.
One fan broke both car windows, on the driver’s and front passenger’s side with a baseball bat. The other fan then opened the passenger door and pulled out a 20 centimetre blade. He then stabbed the 30-year-old three times on his left arm.
Both victims were transported to Nicosia General Hospital for treatment where the policeman received a total of 40 stitches.
“Anyone of us could have been in the off-duty officer’s position right now,” police spokesman Michael Katsounotos said yesterday. “When a man stabs his fellow citizen over a scarf and puts his life in danger then that’s the degradation of the whole portion of society that wants to be called football fans.”
Katsounotos pleaded with anyone who has information about the incident to pass it on to police anonymously through the number 1460 as “without help from the public we will not be able to solve this crime”.
Katsounotos added that the men could not be recognised as they were wearing hoods. “The police of chief was ridiculed a little while ago when he wanted to ban hoods. Now we can see that he was right and we will be looking to ban hoods in and around sport arenas.”
The game which APOEL won 1-0 was marred by additional incidents just before and just after kick off. APOEL fans threw objects and chairs at Omonia fans in the west stand just before kick off, but police intervened and no one was seriously injured.
After the game ended Omonia fans threw rocks and other objects at policemen who returned fire with tear gas. Two18-year-olds were arrested at the scene, charged and released by police.
Three other men were also arrested after one was hanging out of a car window with a lit flare. Upon searching the vehicle le police found bats and additional flares, both men were arrested, charged and also released.
Justice Minister Loucas Louca, meanwhile, met with police officials yesterday to discuss the increase of h hooliganism on the island.
“The police will be merciless, while some portion of the blame must lay with the political parties and the clubs who incite fans with their some of their statements.”
In regards to the stabbing of the police officer Louca said: “Investigations are underway and we are treating this case as an attempted murder. We have already spoken to the victim and some eye witnesses.” Louca also said that he has given the Chief of Police orders to solve the crime immediately.
The board of directors of APOEL also released a statement in regards to the incident: “APOEL ltd condemns the actions of some fans and extends its sympathy towards the police officer that got injured. It appears like APOEL fans are responsible and we condemn this and any violence that tarnishes the name of football. Violence needs to stay away from stadiums and fans that behave in such a manner have no place at games.”
The police revealed last week that sports hooliganism had risen 52 per cent in 2010 over the previous year.
