NINE YOUNG people have been remanded over their involvement in violence that broke out outside Tsirion stadium after the AEL-APOEL football match on Sunday.
The hooligans threw stones and Molotov cocktails at police officers, wounding four officers and three fans and causing damage to two cars.
Six of the nine suspects in remand are aged between 15 and 18, while three are aged between 18 and 26. Of the nine people who were arrested on Sunday, three were also wounded and were taken to Limassol General Hospital. The suspects appeared before Limassol District Court yesterday, where a four day remand was issued.
Questions relating to the preparedness of the police force have been raised, particularly as there is clear indication that police knew the hooligans were planning to use Molotov cocktails. Before the football match started, police searched the area around Tsirion and found 20 home-made devices hidden at the Ayios Arsenios church which is under construction.
Instead of placing the church under surveillance to catch the fans who would go to pick up the bombs, police chose to remove the bombs from the church.
“The bombs were removed to prevent any trouble,” a police spokesperson said.
“Police are evaluating evidence and we are not ruling out the possibility of further arrests of other people who took part in the events,” said Andreas Angelides, Limassol police press officer.
The violence erupted outside the stadium as fans from both teams were exiting.
Although police had installed barbed wire to separate the two sides of the stadium so that the supporters of the opposing teams would not come into contact, spats broke out between AEL and APOEL fans.
While police officers were trying to direct APOEL fans to the exit for Nicosia, AEL fans managed to break through the wires at Stelios Kyriakides Street outside Tsirion and attack the police.
A group of approximately 150 AEL fans started throwing stones and fire bombs at police, while police officers retaliated with tear gas.
At some point the hooligans also attacked a cameraman who was filming the events, and took his €6,800 camera. In a separate incident, the hooligans used a metal pipe to hit a police officer on the head and take his oxygen mask.
Violence also erupted at the nearby Ayia Fyla roundabout where AEL fans gathered to throw stones at the cars of APOEL fans trying to find their way to the Limassol-Nicosia motorway.
Due to the heavy rain, the hooligans dispersed after a while, without causing further trouble.
Four police officers were wounded, one of whom sustained serious wounds. The three officers who sustained minor wounds were taken to Limassol General Hospital, while the fourth who sustained a fractured nose was taken to a private clinic and underwent surgery.
Meanwhile, violence also erupted at the Anorthosis-Omonia football match, which took place at Antonis Papadopoulos stadium on the same day. In this case, the violence erupted inside the stadium when football fans started throwing stones and other objects to police officers who were on the field. One police officer fainted after he was hit on the head and was taken to Larnaca General Hospital.
A mobile phone was also thrown at a police officer. The phone was retrieved and searched, leading police to its 19-year-old owner. The 19-year-old was arrested, charged in writing and then released.
Anorthosis fans also set fire to the stadium’s seating, requiring the intervention of police to put out the flames.
“A team of police officers intervened to prevent the spread of the fire and to protect the people sitting there. The fans, however, not only failed to help the police effort, but also attacked police officers with fire extinguishers, stones and other objects,” said Christos Andreou, Larnaca police press officer.
