Filenews 15 October 2025
There was no conclusion today in the Legal Committee of the Parliament in the discussion of the Bill for the prevention and suppression of Violence in stadiums. During the session, many disagreements were found on many points of the Bill, as a result of which the President of the Committee and DISY MP, Nikos Tornaritis, called on the competent Ministry of Justice to consult again with the parties involved in order to bridge the disagreements before the Bill is presented again to the Parliament.
Mr. Tornaritis, in his statements after the Committee, said that today, for the fourth time in a row, they discussed in the Committee the bill concerning the prevention and suppression of violence in sports venues. As he mentioned, it is a complex bill that indeed, if and when there was an agreement mainly of the institutions that are called upon to implement it but also of the groups, it would bring positive results.
"Beyond that, however, I am sorry to tell you that in today's session there were well-founded and basic objections from both the groups and many bodies. Objections related to the infrastructure mainly that either stadium owners or others are called upon to implement in order for the law to be implemented," he said.
Mr. Tornaritis stated that a law cannot and is not possible to be brought to the Plenary Session for which they will know from the beginning that it is unenforceable.
He added that he has called on the competent ministry to call again the competent bodies, especially the semi-state bodies and the state and to come to specific conclusions, which are homogeneous, as, as he noted, "one cannot say one and the other the other".
"We want there to be at least those points that will convince the majority of MPs to vote for the bill," he said. As it is today, he added, the finding he has as President of the Committee is that this bill does not receive the support, but it does not receive the support of the vast majority of the guests who were in the committee today.
"That is why we call on the Ministry of Justice to proceed with additional consultation on those points that need more discussion and as I told the committee, when they are ready to notify us and we will immediately put the bill for article-by-article discussion," he said.
Answering a question, he said, they were not told the amounts needed to upgrade stadiums nor the amounts needed to install closed monitoring circuits in the stadiums. Based on the proposed bill, he explained, closed circuits should be installed in all stadiums with a capacity of more than 500 fans.
Asked if there is a specific timetable, he said that there is indeed not, adding, however, that the Committee is ready to discuss it and take it to the Plenary for a vote if the Ministry informs them that it has consulted again and they have concluded on the main issues where there are differences.
AKEL MP Andreas Pasiourtidis said that his party expects the Government to give a written evaluation of the existing legislative framework for violence in stadiums, which when voted was presented as the panacea for violence in sports venues. "Obviously, in order for the law to need such radical changes, it was either not implemented correctly, or it has shortcomings, or something is wrong, and we want to know this something," he said.
The second one they asked for for the fourth or fifth time, he said, is the infamous report of the Office Against Hooliganism of the Police, which in detail, after inspections in all football stadiums, has recorded what deficiencies they have and what needs to be done to ensure that their owners comply with the existing legislation and that matches can be held safely.
"What we want is full stadiums but for the fans to watch the games safely. It is not a solution either to empty the stadiums, nor to ban movement to reduce the work we have to do or to have less chance of incidents as the Police claims. The job of the police is the law, order and security both in the stadiums and outside the stadiums", he said and added that this does not mean that they will accept that police officers are sent to the field and that either their lives or their physical integrity are endangered by brainless people and hooligans.
Mr. Pasiourtidis said that they will see how the discussion will develop and added that today they have reiterated that a last attempt should be made to consult with the stakeholders. "The wish is to find a common component, without this meaning that whatever comes before us, even if agreed, we will vote for it," he said.
DIKO MP Panikos Leonidou in his own statements said that the Government's proposal finds agreement with his party, because it fills in gaps and omissions in the basic legislation.
"We are not saying that the legislative regulations will solve the problems of violence and unsportsmanlike behaviour in general. But they are on the right track and we will strengthen them even more through dialogue, discussion and mutual understanding. The goal is not to interfere in sports, the goal is to strengthen sports, to strengthen sports education, and certainly what is needed is prevention and repression, and precisely, the goal of these supplementary bills is to suppress violence in stadiums," he said
Mr. Leonidou stated that he does not believe that in this context all issues should be exhausted in order for the legislation to be passed. "Of course, there are huge problems in sports venues and in matters related to planning permits and the general operation of sports venues. But since matches are held in these places, the state must find ways for a safe holding of these games and we are next to those who agree with the safe conduct of games on the one hand, but also the strengthening of sports in general", he said.
The President of PASP, Spyros Neofytidis, unfortunately told the Committee today once again, the proposals made by the Association for two or three meetings, concerning Article 22 on the quality and criteria of the implementation of CCTV, were not included. "We think it is very important that it falls within the legislation and clarifies what CCTVs need and how they should be in order for the law to be effective," he said, adding that with generalities and by passing legislation that will not specify the quality of CCTVs, they will again make "a hole in the water".
He also said that today it was confirmed that in a complaint made by him, a year ago, that the Saint-Denis Convention of the Council of Europe, which was signed a year ago by the President of the Republic and which is an integrated approach to safety, security and services in football matches, was not submitted to the EU by the Government.
Nikos Loizides of the Police Force Branch of the Pancyprian Trade Union ISOTITA, said that some people are trying to misinform the MPs. He said that they are trying to misinform them about various issues such as the banners in the stadiums while asking to bring the Fan Associations to the Parliament. As Mr. Loizides said, the MPs rightly told them that the SYFI should first be placed under the Law and then come to represent the fans on the issue of Violence in the stadiums. "Human lives are above all and fortunately the MPs think about this and put the citizens first," he said.
Regarding the Ministry's proposal for the Police to check the Fan Card, Mr. Loizides expressed his disagreement, saying that this can be done by invigilators or by machines so that police officers are not used unnecessarily.
CNA
