Three suspects remanded in football violence

Three men arrested under suspicion of rioting during the Ael-Apollon match last earlier this week, were remanded for four days by the Limassol District Court on Sunday.

According to police, the three men, ages 39, 28, and 21, appeared in court on Sunday after their arrest on Saturday.

Police said when they arrested the three, they also went forward with cancelling their fan cards immediately.

A fourth person was also arrested in connection with the violence, but later released pending his hearing.

The man, 30, was arrested on the charge of offensive gestures during the match. He is alleged to have said that he committed the offence and is set to appear in court next month over the incident.

On Saturday, political parties expressed concern over the government’s decision to introduce a bill to parliament, granting them the power to hold football matches without fans.

Disy, Akel, and Edek, commenting on Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis’ statements from Friday following a meeting with football clubs and the Cyprus Football Association (CFA), all expressed disagreement with the government’s move.

Hartsiotis mentioned that the bill would empower the government to prohibit the operation of any football fan association without the supervision of the club itself.

While acknowledging that the measures announced by CFA were moving in the right direction, the government believed that “they are not doing enough to immediately and effectively deal with the problem.”