Three further arrests were made on on Wednesday in connection with violent episodes which broke out at the abandoned Limassol derby between Ael and Apollon on Sunday.

The first two, aged 25 and 23, were arrested on suspicion of having illegally entered a sports venue and causing a match to be cancelled.

Their arrests come after a 34-year-old man was arrested shortly after 8pm on Tuesday.

All three were remanded in custody for four days on Wednesday.

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Later in the day police announced the arrest of a 22-year-old who appears to be among those who entered the stadium without a ticket. Police also arrested a 24-year-old.

A 21-year-old, an 18-year-old, and two 17-year-olds were arrested on Sunday after the match was abandoned.

They were seen getting into a car outside Ael’s fan club and attempting to flee the scene, with a metal bar having been found in the vehicle.

All four appeared in court on Tuesday and were all remanded in custody for seven days.

An additional three people have been identified but not yet arrested, as police initially listed 32 people connected to the violence they were looking for.

Sunday evening had been marred by violent scenes inside and outside Limassol’s Alphamega Stadium, with a large number of fans without tickets having entered the stadium.

Flares were then lit in the stands and Molotov cocktails were found by police, who then called for everyone inside the stadium to leave and be rechecked for tickets and banned items.

However, the fans refused to leave the stadium, and the match was abandoned.

Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis on Tuesday called on football clubs to isolate what he referred to as “100, 500 or even 1,000 mindless thugs”, adding that those responsible for the incidents “fired flares at people who were simply doing their jobs”.

He also criticised the Cyprus Football Association (CFA) for not “taking further action” in advance of the fixture, adding that the government had been urging them to take measures but had not seen sufficient determination to this end.

The violent scenes occurred on just the third week in which away fans were allowed back into football stadiums after having been banned following previous violence earlier in the year.

Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis had reportedly been in favour of the ban being extended into the new season, but the CFA’s board of directors was unanimous in its decision.

Away fans had been banned from all competitive football matches in January after a firecracker launched from a standhit a player in the head during a Coca Cola Cup match between Nea Salamina and Apoel, with the player reportedly suffering damaged hearing as a result.

Just days later in January, another Limassol derby was cancelled due to violence inside and outside the Alphamega Stadium.