By Maria-Christina Doulami
THE CHIEF of police yesterday called on the public to help in identifying the hooligans who ran riot across Nicosia on Thursday night, following European victories for the capital’s two rival football teams.
About 100 hooded young men, believed to be APOEL fans, attacked and caused serious damage to cafés and cars on Makariou Avenue in Nicosia in the early hours of yesterday.
The trouble broke out between 1 and 2am, and involved around 100-150 young men, apparently fans of APOEL celebrating their team’s qualification for the UEFA Cup.
Nicosia Police Chief Kypros Michailides described what happened: “After the end of the Omonia-AEK game and despite the fact that everything had proceeded smoothly, both in the arrival and departure of the supporters and while people were celebrating the victory of their team, shortly after the end of the Red Star Belgrade-APOEL match, some other people, perhaps incited by their own reasons, chose to blacken the victory of their team.
“Wearing hoods and helmets and carrying iron bars, they flooded Makarios Avenue and caused severe damage to cars passing by but also to a particular café,” Michailides said.
“These incidents have saddened me because, whereas the whole of Cyprus should be celebrating the victory of these teams, these people chose to blacken their team’s victory in this particular way.”
Dozens of cars swamped Makarios Avenue to the extent that police cars had no way of passing through.
The hooligans were estimated to number 100-150 persons, but according to police reports there were also other small groups moving through various side-streets, using iron bars and stones to damage cars.
According to Michailides, the trouble-makers were APOEL fans who were targeting cars sporting Omonia banners. He clarified, however, that the hooligans had nothing to do with organised supporters or the team.
The hooded hooligans held chains, iron bars and stones and aggressively attacked supporters sitting at cafés on Makarios Avenue, throwing stones both at punters and passing cars.
Incidents were also reported on Limassol Avenue, where the APOEL club is situated. Hooligans, again masked, threw stones at passing cars.
Four people were slightly injured in the rampage and were taken to hospital for first aid. Specifically, one 44-year old, one 22-year old and two women aged 40 and 21, who were sitting in the outdoor café area, were injured by stones thrown by the hooligans.
The group of thugs then continued by attacking a group of nine people standing on a pavement in Makarios Avenue and used an iron bar to hit a 24-year-old and a 17-year-old. The two men were taken to Nicosia General Hospital and treated for extensive cuts and bruises.
In addition, seven drivers passing through Makarios Avenue reported to the police that the group of trouble-makers caused malicious damage to their cars, while they also attacked and hit three of the drivers.
Police are continuing their investigations, and Michailides yesterday called on the public and particularly those who had been present to help the police so that “we can arrest these people”.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2008
