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"They said they would burn down the Chirio and they did"
This statement by the head of the Chirio Stadium, fully reflects the situation at the stadium yesterday. Before and after the final stoppage of a derby that went down in football history as a non-event. As for the history that was to be written about the last match between the two Limassol teams at the Tsireios Stadium, it was permanently tarnished.
The fans went to the stadium determined and "armed." With Molotov cocktails, stones, firecrackers and flares. How they managed to get all this inside the stadium remains once again a mystery, although there are reports before the authorities that this is done with the connivance of some who have the access to do so.
The images of the next day also testify to the intentions of the hooligans who left in their wake a "bombed" landscape and damage to the stadium and various outbuildings in the area. A burnt car from a flare that left the AEL stand, a burnt awning, broken windows and other damage make up the scene. And of course that's not all
Photos obtained by the Cyprus Times demonstrate the scene inside and outside the stadium, with Molotov cocktails and piles of stones being exchanged
- Chaos outside Tsireio... Police officer injured by stone-throwing and Molotov cocktails (pics-video)
- VIDEO. They smash concrete and seats (pics)
The postponement of the start of the match triggered new incidents outside...
The atmosphere smelled of gunpowder early on. A portion of fans started to go berserk on the stands before the opening whistle blew. They broke seats, threw flares and lit fires. At the sight of these incidents an emergency meeting was called by the police, in the presence of the stadium steward, the match observer and representatives of the teams. As the Cyprus Times was informed by the Police, footage that had already been recorded by drones of what was happening was shown and the teams were informed that given the circumstances the safety of human lives and property could not be ensured. Everyone agreed and the derby never started.
"The force in Chirio was sufficient but in front of the mob and in this situation we could not police adequately. We put the lives of citizens above all," a police source told our website.
After the final postponement, the riots were moved outside the stadium. The area around Chirio turned into a battlefield again. Familiar images for the residents of the area, who will probably not miss football matches at all with the opening of the new stadium in the city.
Police took out Ajax and used tear gas to disperse the fans who were going on a rampage.
[/P][BR]"They went to burn down the Chirio and they did it..."
The survey of the damage, both inside and outside the stadium, began early in the morning. Broken chairs, stones, pieces of concrete, burnt rubbish bins and broken vehicles.
Inside the stadium, according to Chirio's Technical Services Manager Kostas Christodoulou Tsigaridis, serious damage was caused mainly to the east stand. Speaking to the media, Tsigaridis indicated that it all started in the warm-up of the players when some people started throwing pieces of concrete at them.
"The players went down and then we learned that the police did not guarantee safety for the match to start. They were pulling out chairs and throwing concrete and flares. They were pulling out chairs, stacking them and setting them on fire. The riots continued in the neighborhood. Instead of celebrating, they said they were going to burn the Chirio and they did it we had information and informed the police," he said.
Videos of fans breaking concrete from the stands were released by police:
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Contents of this article including associated images are belongs Cyprus Times
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Times
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