Filenews 28 November 2025 - by Ioanna Mantziipa
Just a few 24 hours before Sunday's big derby between AEL and Apollon, the atmosphere in Limassol smells of gunpowder. Last night turned into a battlefield outside the Apollon club, with Molotov cocktails, fierce clashes and extensive damage to vehicles, while citizens who were in the building for entertainment were trapped in fear until the Police arrived in the area.
The incidents, which according to the authorities seem to have been pre-planned, raise the thermometer even more between the organized fans of the two teams and cause a new alarm to the Police, in view of the derby, which is now characterized as a very high risk.
Broken windows, damage to 12 vehicles, objects on the ground, garbage and a fire in a garbage can were what the members of TAE Limassol saw at the first light of day, who went for on-site examinations outside the Apollon club, which shortly before midnight had been turned into a battlefield.
Hand-to-hand battles unfolded outside the club, with fans of both teams clashing using whatever they had at their disposal. All this at a time when on the first floor of the club there were citizens who had gone to play tombola.
As the manager of the property told Filenews, the incidents unfolded on the street and in front of the property. A large group of hooded men arrived from the south side of Messolonghi Street and then they were noticed by the Apollon fans who were inside the area. The first Molotov cocktails immediately fell, with the fans of the two teams holding hands, holding bats and various other objects and wearing hoods.
"Inside the first floor there were patrons of the club, people who came to play tombola, some of whom left without cars and with several damages," said the administrator. According to him, the hooded men were many, while the people on the first floor, as soon as they realized the incidents, remained inside the club to protect themselves. "People panicked and stayed inside until the situation calmed down and the Police arrived."
Asked about any injuries, he said that 2-3 people were hit with clubs and stones. He condemned what took place outside the club, describing the level of savagery as sad. He also stressed that he believes that yesterday's events are a portent for Sunday's derby, stating that the club from the beginning of the week had recommended that measures be taken by the Police.
According to the Police, around midnight, hooded men went outside the Apollon club on Messolonghi Street. There they threw firecrackers and Molotov cocktails and clashed with Apollon fans, who, according to testimony obtained, were waiting for them inside the premises. Police forces rushed to the scene, which cordoned off the scene. Upon arrival, the hooded men were chased but managed to escape. During their escape, they allegedly lit a fire in a garbage can and caused damage to 12 parked vehicles.
The scene remained under guard until noon on Friday, so that on-site examinations and investigations could be carried out by the members of the TAE Limassol. At the same time, various closed circuit surveillance systems in the area were received for study, in an attempt to identify the perpetrators or their vehicles. It is reported that various videos of the action of the hooded men are already circulating, in which what took place is recorded.
Alarm for AEL-Apollon
The Police believe that the atmosphere between the organized fans of the two teams has reached a breaking point, with the match on November 30 at the "Alpha Mega" stadium now characterized as "very high risk". In fact, through a letter to the KOP, the Police recommends either a significant reduction in the number of tickets, or the holding of the derby behind closed doors, if it is judged that public safety cannot be ensured.
The letter emphasizes that the history of clashes between the organized fans of the two clubs weighs heavily on the risk assessment, as the incidents of violence in recent years have gone beyond the narrow confines of the stadium and affect the social life of the city.
