Omonia and APOEL face expulsion from volleyball league after night of violence

RIVAL Nicosia volleyball clubs Omonia and APOEL face exclusion from the championship after clashes between fans during a game at the Lefkotheo stadium in Nicosia on Wednesday night.

Three police officers and two fans were wounded after fans started stoning each other outside the grounds while the game was going on. Sources said the fight was started by Omonia fans who were losing the game.

The referee was forced to stop the game.

According to police, the fans caused extensive damage to the building as well as cars parked outside.

An 18-year-old man was arrested and is being held in police custody.
The Volleyball Association told the Cyprus Mail yesterday that both clubs would appear before a disciplinary committee and were facing fines and even exclusion from the championship altogether.

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.