Injuries as basketball game erupts in violence

THE Lefkotheo Arena in Nicosia was turned into a battlefield on Sunday night during the first division basketball championship’s semi-final between Cytavision APOEL and Intercollege ETHA, when angered APOEL fans launched a violent attack on all and sundry.

The fans managed – among others – to interrupt the game, injure an on-duty policeman with stones and cause damage inside the stadium and out.

The violence unfolded onto the streets resulting in nearby shops being vandalised.

“We have reached breaking point,” said Justice Minister Loucas Louca yesterday, while the Police Chief asked for a full report on the incident to see if the force could have prevented the violent outcome.

The trouble started when the referee decided to penalise the APOEL coach, resulting in the team’s fans storming onto the court and interrupting the game.

The referees ran to the dressing rooms for cover and the violence continued outside the stadium.

The car park turned into a battlefield between the fans and police, with the latter having to use tear gas.

Apart from the injured policeman, parked cars were damaged, as were windows and other parts of the stadium.

As they departed, the fans started throwing objects at nearby shops and setting dustbins alight.

“It took effort for us to build all this,” said shop owner Charis Charilaou. “Why certain people are being violent after sporting games is something we need to seek answers for.”

Police have taken CCTV footage from the surrounding shops to assist investigations.

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