CFA rejects Apollon appeal against Ael (Update)

The Cyprus Football Association (CFA) on Tuesday rejected the appeal filed by Apollon over the decision to hold the derby against Ael behind closed doors following the incidents provoked by fans that forced the referee to call off the match.

In their appeal, Apollon argued that the problems were caused by Ael fans, therefore demanding the three points be awarded to them.

Nonetheless, the CFA unilaterally agreed to nullify both teams over the match that was not played. The full decision is expected to be published at a later stage.

The incidents at Tsirio stadium on December 4 led to the injury of an officer, while fans also destroyed plastic seats and damaged the concrete bleachers.

Police said that troubles began before the match was expected to start at 7pm. During checks at the entrance, they arrested a 20-year-old who was caught with three torches in his possession.

Then, shortly after 6pm, fans threw firecrackers on the pitch damaging stands and seats, while during the departure of the Apollon players after their warm-up, they threw pieces of concrete from the damaged stand.

“We experienced unprecedented events for Cypriot football,” Apollon’s board of directors said in a written statement on December 5.

They claimed that Ael fans had thrown Molotov cocktails towards their players who were warming up “which fortunately did not explode”, while they also broke up pieces from the cement bleachers and threw them.

Apollon highlighted that it would not allow anyone to equate the behaviour of the fans of the two teams nor to ‘distort the actual facts.’