Fans of rival sport teams clashed Saturday in central Greek city of Lamia, which was supposed to host the final four in handball. The clashes kicked off early on Saturday when PAOK fans attacked the offices of AEK in Lamia, hurling a petrol bomb. Bloody clashes followed between the fans of the rival teams. The final four was postponed.
Seven Got Injured, Two Got Arrested
The clashes between the fans of two rival sport teams, PAOK and AEK, in the heart of Lamia resulted in seven people getting injured and two getting seized.
The clashes commenced when about 100 PAOK fans, who arrived in Lamia early on Saturday morning, stabbed two AEK fans outside their team’s offices. The injured men were hurried to hospital.
The attackers then hurled a petrol bomb at the AEK offices. It was the tear gases fired by the police that pushed them away.
Shortly afterwards, the AEK fans started to gather. The few police officers dispatched to the site could not prevent them from reaching a central square in the city and hurling petrol bombs at the police and the PAOK fans.
After 15 minutes of “war-like” clashes that torched several kiosks and spooked the passer-bys, police managed to put an end to the clashes.
As a result, authorities decided to have the final four postponed until further notice.
Reactions
“The new serious clashes between hooligans in the city of Lamia this time have proved that violence on the occasion of sport events has assumed highly alarming dimensions. The repeated incidents tarnish the sports ideal, raising, at the same time, questions as to the stance of the Civil Protection Ministry. It is high time the political leaders of the said Ministry claimed their responsibilities by taking essential measures and not just announcing their intentions,” commented Conservative deputy and section head for Civil Protection affairs Nikos Dendias.
(source: ert)
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