Confusion over whether Cyprus will host Greek football cup final

Confusion reigned on Monday over whether the Greek football cup final will be held in Cyprus, which has been plagued by issues of sport stadium violence.

The Greek press is reporting as a done deal that the game will be staged on the island – however both Justice Minister Anna Procopiou and police spokesman Christos Andreou said there has been no formal request.

“We have only heard about this through the press,” Andreou said on CyBC.

The past few weeks have been marred by arrests after rioting fans at a basketball match set fire to offices and a bus stop.The violence led to police drawing up a report for the justice minister apparently laying the brunt of the blame on three police officers.

The justice minister did not outright reject that Cyprus would agree to Greece’s game, responding to a suggestion that it was evident local authorities were struggling to get a grip on local games, let alone hosting a Greek football cup final.

“We cannot make statements over something that has not been formally requested of us. If a request is made we can then evaluate it,” Procopiou told the state broadcaster.

Nonetheless, the evaluation will have to take place sooner rather than later, as the Hellenic football federation has already sent a letter to Cyprus’ football association, formally outlining the request. The latter has responded positively however stressed police will have the final say.

Speaking to the state broadcaster, Andreou said for a match to be held in Cyprus, police would need a host of information in terms of the teams, fans and security measures, so as to properly carry out a thorough risk evaluation.

This would consequently determine whether authorities would agree to police the event, under what conditions and what the regulations should be.

Procopiou noted the state is taking several steps to tackle the phenomenon of sports violence – including developing a profile of perpetrators.

“We must look at this holistically.

“Just because there are immediate steps which have to be taken to ensure there is no damage to property or worse human life, does not mean we aren’t focusing on broader steps.”

Indeed, all parties involved have initially began discussing a long-term strategy which includes the education ministry and deputy social welfare ministry, focusing on changing the culture of sport fans, the minister said.

Procopiou also attributed a part of the issue to police understaffing. “There are 700 vacant police positions, which we are trying to fill.”

Additionally, the CCTV footage that is currently obtained does not allow for immediate facial recognition, the minister highlighted.