Marios Hartsiotis has issued a stern warning as the coastal city is preparing for potentially dangerous tension, with the local Apollonas-AEL derby and a protest by Omonoia 29th May organised supporters just prior to the match, over unfair treatment.
‘Football is a healthy sport and we should not turn games into a boxing rings or conflict areas’, the Justice minister noted in a statement to the Cyprus Agency, as he expressed the hope that the situation will run smoothly.
Hartsiotis said that he was being kept up to date with police leadership about the all the operational planning and security measures that will ensure both the protest as well as the high risk derby, will go ahead without any issues.
‘Following relevant remarks by officials from both teams as well as the Football Association President, I am hopeful for a problem free day’, Hartsiotis added.
Authorities will be operating two crisis centres, one of them at the city’s police precinct and at the local derby stadium itself, with more than 300 officers from various departments and districts coordinating across Limassol.
