Three remanded for Larnaca football violence

AFTER a lengthy procedure which lasted from morning until 4pm on Friday, three of the five hooligans arrested for Wednesday’s football violence in Larnaca were remanded, while the two others were released.

A Larnaca resident, 27, and two men from Aradippou, aged 18 and 22, were remanded for three days, while a 22-year-old resident of Larnaca and a 21-year-old man residing in Dromolaxia were set free.

Police on Thursday issued arrest warrants for six people after a group of about 50 hooligans disrupted the afternoon practice of Larnaca football team Aek on Wednesday by throwing stones at fans watching the players training at the ground next to the GSZ stadium.

Five of them, aged 18 to 27, were arrested by Thursday afternoon, while the sixth is still wanted.

Five people were injured, two fans and three police officers. One fan received stitches to his head.

Reports said the attackers had concealed their faces, but were wearing the colours of Anorthosis, which is also based in Larnaca. They were there because the Anorthosis five-a-side team was playing nearby.

Six police officers who were patrolling the grounds dispersed the crowd.

Aek was having its last practice before Thursday’s second Europa League qualifier against Czech side Pilsen. Pilsen won the first leg 3-1.

Following the attack, Aek tweeted: “Well done, you taught ethos and culture.”

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.