THE CHAIRMAN of the Football Federation (KOP) yesterday slammed police for their failure to prevent an eruption of hooligan violence at the end of a Nicosia derby on Sunday.
Fans went on the rampage at the end of the Omonia-Olympiakos game at the GSP stadium, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
When the final whistle went – almost a minute before time according to the home fans – the Omonia stands erupted, furious at referee Nicos Savva’s alleged bias against their team. Angry fans hurled projectiles towards Savva, who needed a police escort to get off the pitch. Others charged the Olympiakos stand, attacking rival fans. But the trouble was not over.
As they left, hooligans smashed everything in sight, reducing the stadium’s entrances to rubble and attacking policemen trying to stop them.
Ten police officers and the Olympiakos youth team goalkeeper were rushed to hospital for treatment. Damage to the stadium is estimated at between £15,000 and £20,000. Three fans were arrested.
But yesterday KOP Chairman Marios Lefkaritis lashed out at the police, who he blamed for failing to take appropriate measures for a high-risk derby match.
“Where was the police? What measures did they take?” Lefkaritis asked.
“The police knew there was going to be a lot of people, they saw the tension building up and I wonder what they did to prevent it,” he told the Cyprus Mail.
Lefkaritis said police had done nothing to prevent the trouble from breaking out in the first place.
Police Superintendent Andreas Paphitis denied the allegations.
He said the fact that 10 of his officers had ended up in hospital was testimony to their efforts. Olympiakos officials had accused police of standing by as Omonia fans beat up their rivals.
Paphitis insisted that all measures deemed necessary had been taken, but admitted the situation had got out of control when violence broke out at five separate points in the ground as police were shepherding the referee to safety.
The three fans arrested on Sunday were yesterday charged and released. Police said they expected to make more arrests.
But though he blamed poor policing, KOP Chairman Lefkaritis had little time for the hooligans.
“Those responsible for this are animals, not human beings,” he said.
“We do not want them in the stadiums. Football, and sport in general do not need these people,” he added.
Lefkaritis said the federation was looking into the match reports and insisted that justice would soon be taking its course.
“Those who are to blame will be brought before the football disciplinary committee.”
Lefkaritis stood by referee Savva’s performance, saying said he had been doing his job.
If a post-match investigation found fault with Savva’s handling of the game, then he would be sanctioned, Lefkaritis said, adding however that it was not up to the fans to take the law into their own hands.
Lefkaritis said the federation had tried everything to combat the hooligan plague, but felt it was too weak to control the “mob”.
“Maybe we can suspend the league until they fall in line,” he said.
“If the police does not take drastic measures, nothing can be done,” he said.
GSP Director Fivos Constantinides said yesterday the proceeds from the ticket sales – about £40,000 – would not be handed over to home side Omonia until the cost of damages had been deducted.
The club has condemned the trouble and has agreed to pay the damages in full.
The game was also marred by the death from a heart attack of a 61-year-old fan.
Costas Polystipiotis collapsed as he was watching the game. A doctor rushed to his aid, but the man had already died.
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.
