Filenews 8 May 2022 - by Iakovos Kakouris
Stadium violence has always been one of the most serious problems in Cypriot football. Along with the pre-arranged races they were 'usually' at the top of the pyramid of big thorns since the sport appeared organized in our country.
Football history has recorded hundreds of incidents of violence, dozens of injuries, several of them very serious, quite a few interruptions of matches and some punishments. The only period of recession was in the season of the Fan Card (and the coronavirus), from July 28, 2018 until recently, when the fanatical, the so-called organized fans decided to return to the stadiums. The Fan Card is required for the entrance of fans to the playing fields in all team sports. It was implemented under the legislation to suppress violence and great reactions, even within the House of Representatives, due to the rapid increase in incidents. We had hit rock bottom and the majority of the fans were literally trembling to go to the stadium.
Given the opportunity, therefore, the relevant revised legislation was implemented, which brought in the Fan Card. The Fan Card, however, is characterized as a valuable tool for the safety of fans and in combination with the operation of closed circuit surveillance, troublemakers can be identified much more easily. That's why the majority of potential troublemakers reacted so strongly.
From the day the Fan Card was implemented, without the organized fans in the stands, serious incidents were reduced to a minimum. That is at least what the official figures say. For about four years, until the sad incident of last Saturday in "Antonis Papadopoulos", in the absence of the organized from the stadiums, zero injuries of police officers, zero injuries of citizens! We are talking about an amazing success rate, if we consider that in the four-year period 2012-16, for example, we had 201 injuries to police officers and 94 seriously injured fellow citizens! It is proven, therefore, with the implementation of the Fan Card, the troublemakers stayed out of the first division stadiums and even the simple cases and arrests were reduced to a minimum. Serious incidents took place in very few cases where the Fan Card was not applied, such as the stadiums of the Second Division and in matches of teenagers.
Last Saturday's sad incidents that only just failed to send an unsuspecting 20-year-old to the other world because he made the mistake of taking his dog for a walk, shocked public opinion. They coincided - unfortunately - with the decision of the organized to return to the stadiums. No one argues that all the organizers are hooligans or troublemakers, but the incidents of the past show that it is from their ranks that most cases of violence are "born" in the stadiums.
Are we ready as a society to accept back to the stadiums... warm-blooded organized youngsters, who until recently refused to obtain a Fan Card? If the reactions and actions of the police force and the unions in recent days are a criterion, the answer is rather negative. The prevailing feeling awakened the nightmare that was the greatest scourge in our sport for many decades.
For years, especially in Cypriot football, nothing was done to prevent, solve and suppress the problem. Everyone expressed their condolences, everyone condemned, everyone wished that the last episodes would be the final episodes. Sessions and meetings followed at all levels, even at the Presidential Palace. Without anyone really taking responsibility. Many "wills", "wills" and "wills" that were characterized as hypocrisy of the worst kind. On all governments, all parties, all federations and almost all unions, there was a feeling that we were walking blindly, without planning, without evaluated goals, without the necessary skills. The hooligans of the stadiums (at all levels...) exploited the disorganisation and inconsistency and continued undisturbed.
This feeling is once again prevalent among our fellow citizens. Perhaps it is even more intense because our daily lives are full of violence. Violence has grown and appears, in a different form of course, in all areas of our lives. In the past, our experts said "you must first of all make it clear where the responsibilities of those directly responsible begin and end"!
This was the fundamental problem, which is reappearing today. The unions raised their hands and blamed the Police. The Police blamed the unions and for many years we watched a theatre of the absurd. The groups refused to take any preventive measures that provided for a cost of even one euro. Even when the State was willing to pay they continued to refuse! Simply because they were afraid to clash with their organised supporters. Today, the majority of them are not just afraid, but they are trembling!
And all this at a time when in many countries the phenomenon of violence in stadiums has been significantly reduced or eliminated. In the '80s, in Great Britain, "hooliganism" was ranked second on the list of the biggest social problems. The same goes for the Netherlands, Germany, Italy. In these countries the phenomenon has been reduced. Unfortunately, in Cyprus, for many years it has always been relevant. What was and remains particularly annoying is the hypocrisy at all levels and the "ostrich-likeness". All those who refuse to see reality in the face and the rest who are content with remarks and wishful thinking!
The insecurity of the Security Forces
The images outside "Antonis Papadopoulos" last Saturday do not honour anyone. The severe burns of 20-year-old Euripides on 45% of his body were the culmination of a criminal act. The scene was so harsh that it caused a strong shock to Cypriot society. Dozens of hooligans stone-throwing, attacking, throwing Molotov cocktails, destroying members of the police force within walking distance, just watching! The troublemakers themselves "uploaded" and we saw the relevant videos, otherwise there would be "shadows" everywhere and cheap excuses would prevail.
Some claim that this is an "incompetence" of the forces of repression. Some others think it's not worth it in line with the police officer's wage. The interpretation of the insecurity of the Security Forces is gaining ground. This is also admitted by the officials of the Guild of the "Equality" Police Branch, who in short claim that their hands are tied. In their words, the fight against violence presupposes violence and such a directive does not exist.
As is usually the case in such cases, in our country dominates the "will" at all levels. The incidents took place on Saturday afternoon and on Tuesday evening a statement was issued according to which the President of the Republic, Mr. Nicos Anastasiades, "requested that a detailed report of events be prepared immediately, in which any gaps identified in the procedures for the prevention and immediate suppression of such phenomena should be recorded". He has also "given instructions to the Police, which must strengthen its presence, as well as the measures implemented by demonstrating the necessary rigour, in order to avoid any aberrations in the remaining matches of the championship". "They will find us opposite and we will be relentless in order to prevent the occurrence of such phenomena", was the characteristic reference of the Presidency of the Republic to the acts of violence or delinquent behaviour.
On Wednesday morning, the meetings of the Police leadership began to investigate if there were any gaps to prevent them from being repeated, while "for the struggles that follow, the necessary measures should be taken so that we can respond to the fullest and there will be no more problems of such incidents," police spokesman Christos Andreou said. In the leadership of the Police, once again, they feel wronged, since however they react, they are criticized. There are many... our hypersensitive fellow citizens who are annoyed when the members of the police force use force violence, even if it is their self-defence or there is no other solution. It is no secret, too, that in many cases on duty police officers do not act effectively in fear of the investigation process and disciplinary action following relevant complaints.
Matches are normally held with "criminal" omissions!
One of the big problems in the fight against violence is that even in the upper layers of the Police they "bury their head in the sand" in very serious incidents. The other day, in the match Aris - APOEL, hundreds of fans entered Tsirio without showing an entrance ticket and a Fan Card. In fact, the safety process of the confrontation was "rendered useless", but it was carried out normally, fortunately without too much fuss. In the "nightmarish" scenario, i.e. if we had serious incidents, the omissions were so great that they are characterized by experts as "criminal". The CCTV, the responsibility of which was held by members of the Police, was "rendered useless", but there was neither a complaint nor any investigation announced! No explanations were even sought from the home club's security officer. At a time when the legislation provides for the person in charge of the police operation to submit to the Chief of Police (within seven days) a report on the effectiveness of the preventive measures taken. The Chief of Police, always according to the legislation, for 15 years, must evaluate and make recommendations and recommendations to the security officer.
