Sticks stones and tear gas at yesterday’s football game

Another week and another football violence incident, this time in Larnaca at the Antonis Papadopoulos stadium at the match between Anorthosis and Omonoia. The troubles started when a group of Omonoia fans attempted to force their entry to the stadium without valid tickets, the police stopped them, and they responded with stones, sticks and setting bins and car tires on fire. The police then tried to defuse the situation by using tear gas which resulted into tens of fans and people from the surrounding houses to be taken to the hospital. The gas also affected the players and the referee was forced to stop the game just one minute after it started, the break lasted for 45 minutes. The police arrested 34 persons involved in the incident and another 5 were arrested in the Nicosia – Larnaca highway after information that they were carrying Molotov bombs.