SECURITY measures are tightening ahead of the much-anticipated meeting between Cypriot football team Anorthosis Famagusta and Turkish outfit Trabzonspor on Tuesday at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia.
Club and security officials are calling on spectators planning to attend the Champions League clash between the two sides to arrive early and buy tickets beforehand.
Stadium Manager Fivos Constantinides called on fans not to turn up at the stadium without tickets, and stressed the importance of arriving early at the game, unlike other times when the stadium begins to fill up around an hour before the game.
“We are calling on all fans to please purchase their tickets beforehand and not to turn up at the game with no tickets. In any case, if people do not have tickets then we will place ticket stands on the outer perimeters of the stadium, in other words, away from the ground.
“Security checks will be very strict, both outside and inside the stadium, and people will be searched twice before entering the ground.”
Senior police officer Christakis Mavris also told reporters that security at the game would be intense, adding that these measures were needed to protect all people at the stadium.
Anorthosis chairman Andreas Pantelis told the Cyprus Mail that he had full confidence in the police, adding that Trabzonspor had no wish to bring any of their fans to the island.
“We have total confidence that the police will do whatever is needed to ensure that everything will go smoothly.
“Trabzonspor have told us that they will not be needing tickets for the first game in Nicosia. As for return game in Turkey, we will see how many tickets will be needed for our fans, but I estimate that we will need around 200.”
Meanwhile, Constantinides told the Cyprus Mail that Turkish Cypriots wanting to attend the game needed to obtain tickets from the GSP stadium and not from Anorthosis.
But some Turkish and Turkish Cypriot media believe fanatics from both sides of the island could turn the game into a mass brawl in the stands.
Turkish television station NTV have warned that the game “could see fireworks both on and off the field.
Huseyin Ekmekci of Turkish Cypriot newspaper Kibris said “ultra nationalists in the north could seize the opportunity to cause trouble at the game.”
He added: “Trabzonspor should ask for help from the Turkish Cypriot police, despite it being doubtful that trouble will occur at the game.”
Speaking about the game, Pantelis said: “We know that Trabzonspor are a much harder team than the team we played before but that doesn’t bother us. We will give our utmost best in both these historic games and improve on our performances of late.”
Trabzonspor player and Turkish international ?hsan Derelio?lu said yesterday the game was unique.
“These two matches are historical for both sides and we look forward to them. Anorthosis are very good and we will take them very seriously.”
Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat described the game as positive, adding: “it is good opportunity for friendship.”
