The Minister of Justice and Public Order, Marios Hartsiotis, strongly condemned the riots which took place yesterday following a football match cancellation in Limassol, describing them as “premeditated and planned, with the intent to endanger human lives and property.”
He expressed his dissatisfaction with the Cyprus Football Association’s (CFA) handling of the situation, stating that they were warned about the potential for violence but failed to take adequate preventive measures.
Speaking on the “Proino Dromologio” show, the Minister revealed that the CFA was informed about the potential for violence during the first day of the championship but only imposed fines on the involved clubs for the use of flares in stadiums.
The Minister called for the exemplary punishment of all those involved, questioning what the situation could have escalated into if the match had been played, given the discovery of entire arsenals of naval flares, Molotov cocktails, stones, and flares both inside and outside the stadium.
The Minister noted that the final decision to cancel the match was made by the stadium’s security officer and the referee, who determined that the stadium was unsafe for the match to proceed.
(information from CyBC)
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