in-cyprus 7 February 2024
The Police will detain fans who are accountable to Justice at local stations. That’s what the leadership of the Force has decided.
As reported by Phileleftheros, the directive issued by the Headquarters is for the necessary procedures to be carried out by the Police, so that those accused of violent incidents at stadiums are held at Police Stations when the teams they support are playing.
Moreover, our newspaper’s information indicates that a relevant official message was sent yesterday to all police directors of the provinces by the competent Assistant Chief of Police.
Specifically, the written directive mentions the need for the implementation of a uniform strategy to enforce the provisions of the legislation on violence in stadiums.
Subsequently, clear instructions are given for the Police to request from the Courts that the fans accused of offenses falling under the said Law, “such as the accused, be presented and remain at a Police Station, for a reasonable period of time before, during, and after any match or event their team participates in, until the case is adjudicated.”
In simple terms, the application of Article 73 of the “Law on Prevention and Suppression of Violence in Sports Venues of 2008 (Law 48(I)/2008)” is requested.
Paragraph 3 of the aforementioned article states: “The Court may, in adjudicating any case before it in which any person is charged with a violation of the provisions of this Law or Regulations issued pursuant thereto, if it deems it appropriate, subject to the provisions of Article 47 of the Criminal Procedure Law, impose a term of exclusion from a match or event or prohibition of entry into sports venues until a final decision is issued: It is understood that for the purposes of this paragraph, the provisions of the reservation of paragraph (1) apply.”
Regarding the “1” paragraph mentioned by the legislator, the following are noted: “It is further understood that, in the event of an exclusion order from a match or event or prohibition of entry into sports venues being issued by the Court, to ensure compliance with said order, the convicted person shall be ordered to appear and remain at a Police Station during the conduct of the specific match or event, unless the court, in exceptional circumstances, is satisfied that any other measures can be taken to ensure compliance with the issued order.”
Meanwhile, today the Minister of Justice, Marios Hartsiotis, has scheduled a meeting with a delegation from the Cyprus Footballers Association (CFA). CFA will be represented by its executive president, Spyros Neophytides, the member of the board, Vangelis Kyriakou, and another associate of the former.
As we are informed, CFA is expected to raise the issue of the Saint-Denis Convention (2017) of the Council of Europe, co-signed by the Cyprus Sports Organization on behalf of the Republic.
According to CFA’s position, this Convention has not been ratified by the Cypriot government.
The Convention includes 75 articles and has clear provisions for combating violence in stadiums.
It includes specifications for closed-circuit television (CCTV) installations in stadiums, the precise actions of security guards, as well as the right of a stadium manager to prohibit entry to any fan if, in his personal judgment, they are under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
CFA’s intentions include discussing the memorandum of understanding that was signed last summer with the then Minister of Justice, Anna Koukkides Procopiou, which provided for coordinated measures against violence.
The Footballers Association, based on the memorandum, had committed to intensify its anti-violence campaign through the program that is already in place.
It should be noted that CFA has been organizing events in schools for about a decade, arranging appearances by active footballers who discuss with students, sending messages against negative phenomena in football (violence, racism, etc.).
The Footballers Association intends to make specific proposals to the minister for the recording of high-resolution images in stadiums. It should be noted that for years CFA has been advocating for the need to improve the closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems used in Cyprus.
