Arrests made after football violence in Achna

Curfews have been imposed on three people following football violence in Achna, SBA police announced on Tuesday.

The three men appeared in Dhekelia Court on Monday following their arrest for causing harm by using explosives during the Ethnikos Achnas – Othellos Athienou match on Saturday afternoon.

The men, aged 18, 16 and 15, were identified by police from CCTV footage and were arrested in their Achna homes on Sunday.

During the match, the individuals were seen hiding behind a wall and throwing explosive devices at away supporters in the 85^th minute of Achnas’ 2-1 victory over their promotion chasing rivals.

Two people, the vice president of Othellos and a 15-year-old, were injured in the blast and were taken to hospital to be treated.

The boy was admitted with cuts and bleeding to his forehead and the Othellos official had been struck in the leg by flying debris.

The court imposed a 7pm-7am curfew on the three and granted them €500 bail per person.

SBA Superintendent Panicos Panayi hailed the use of technology in aiding the arrest and said this sent out a warning to would-be hooligans.

“We at the SBA police will simply not tolerate this type of behaviour at football matches and I am delighted that we were able to identify the individuals responsible within a matter of hours and get them into police custody,” he said.

Following the incident, two fans from Othellos are now set to be interviewed by the SBA Police for their response to the explosives being thrown.

Violence at football matches across Cyprus remains a concern for officials and according to the Superintendent, the SBA Police will work closely with club officials and the Cyprus Football Association to ensure that people remain safe at games.

“This must be a collaborative approach. We take football violence very seriously and we will be meeting with club representatives in the coming days and speaking with the CFA to discuss how best to address this situation going forward in order to keep people safe,” Panayi said.

The three individuals will appear in the SBA court on May 4 to answer to the charges.