ANORTHOSIS FC yesterday announced a string of measures aimed at containing hooliganism at the club’s Larnaca venue, including the immediate hiring of stewards and the establishment of a task force to ensure football games pass without incident.
At a news conference yesterday, the Famagusta club said they were teaming up with police to enforce stricter stadium regulations at the “Antonis Papadopoulos” ground.
The club said it would be forming a task force comprising former senior police officers and experts on hooliganism. It objectives: to hire and provide training to stewards; to formulate an action plan for each home game, in cooperation with the police; and the constant monitoring of matches in cooperation with stadium authorities.
The task force will be headed by former police chief Panicos Hadjiloizou.
In addition, and pursuant to a law passed – but seldom enforced – in 2008, it will be prohibited to bring any dangerous items – such as flares – into the venue. Signs will be posted at all entrances informing fans of the prohibition and the sanctions provided by law.
“There shall be no elasticity in the implementation of these regulations,” said Andreas Vrahimis, president of Anorthosis FC.
It is not entirely evident how soon the club will be able to hire stewards; a government bill on stewards has been handed to parliament, and it’s still under debate who will pick up the tab for employing and training such staff.
The current draft of the bill proposes the funding comes from football clubs – but that could change by the time the proposal becomes law.
Politicians have also admitted that it could take up to six months after the law is passed before the new regulations are implemented – pointing to the 2011/2012 football season.
Vrahimis said the new, stricter regulations at the “Antonis Papadopoulos” were not meant to discourage people from attending football games.
On the contrary, he said, the club wanted to bring back families and genuine supporters who have been driven away because of repeated bouts of violence.
“It is not our intention to turn our stadium into a church, so to speak. We want our ground to be packed,” Vrahimis noted.
It was also in the club’s financial interest to crack down on hooligans, because in doing so Anorthosis would avoid fines imposed by the Football Association as well as pay for repairs to stadium infrastructure.
Vrahimis said he hoped the measures would create a safe environment for all fans at the “Antonis Papadopoulos” stadium, and urged other clubs to follow suit.
Given current trends in sports violence, it remains to be seen how successful the regulations will be. Troublemakers, always a step ahead of authorities, are constantly shifting tactics – most of the violence now occurs outside stadiums before and/or after a match, and is frequently targeted at police.
