Two teenagers, aged 16 and 15 years old, were remanded in custody for three days on Wednesday after having been arrested on suspicion of participating in the violent incidents which took place in Limassol surrounding a football match between city rivals Ael and Apollon last Thursday.

The pair had been arrested on Tuesday after police identified them following examinations of CCTV footage from the Nikos Solomonides basketball arena, which suffered from extensive vandalism on Thursday night as the violence spread away from the Alphamega stadium, where the football match was played, and into the city.

The arena is home to Ael’s basketball team, and as such was targeted by Apollon fans.

The police said a group of men “vandalised the facility, smashing trophy cases, sports equipment, clothing, and other items”.

Meanwhile, the police say they are looking for a 24-year-old man and attempting to uncover the details of five further individuals who are linked to the incidents of vandalism at the basketball arena.

One police officer suffered an “acute auditory trauma” and a minor burn to his right hip on the night after an Apollon fan threw a naval flare at him, with the police saying they are treating that incident as an attempted murder.

The following night, a policewoman was injured after a metal railing fell on her as police attempted to keep fans of Aek Larnaca and Omonia apart.

The incident occurred after Aek Larnaca were beaten 3-0 at home by Omonia, with it being reported that around 50 Aek fans attempted to “move threateningly” towards the Omonia fans after the match and tried to push back the metal railings put in place to prevent this from happening.

The policewoman suffered swelling on her face near her right eye and was discharged.

The two nights of violence are the latest evidence of a problem which Cypriot football cannot seem to shake off, with numerous other such incidents having taken place in recent months.

In October, a 26-year-old man suffered a facial fracture and other injuries to his body after being involved in violent episodes after a match between Apoel and Anorthosis, while the Limassol derby has been the scene of violence more often than not in recent years.

Arrests reached double figures when Ael and Apollon were scheduled to play each other in September, with a large number of fans without tickets having entered the Alphamega Stadium, where both teams play.