A 29-year-old AEK fan was stabbed to death in clashes that broke out late on Monday by fans of visiting Croatian Dinamo Zagreb ahead of the Champions League third-qualifying round match. Another eight people were injured.
More than 100 Dinamo fans departed from the capital of Croatia and arrived in OPAP Arena Stadium, in Nea Philadelphia, on Monday despite the decision to ban away fans.
Seven senior officers in the Greek Police will immediately be removed from their positions following the serious incidents between football hooligans in Nea Philadelphia, in which one person was killed, Citizen Protection Minister Yiannis Economou said.
Economou underlined it was “unacceptable” that the Croatian hooligans managed to cross the border and reach the OPAP Arena, adding that prevention on the part of the authorities had failed.
He also warned of more removals and transfers of officers, following an internal inquiry over the handling of the events to determine responsibility “at all levels and in all forms.”
Earlier, Supreme Court Prosecutor Georgia Adilini ordered the Athens Appeals Court Prosecutor and the Athens First-instance Court Prosecutors’ department to launch an urgent preliminary investigation into the clashes.
More specifically, she ordered them to gather evidence in order to identify the person who committed the murder and see whether more crimes had been committed.
She also asked the prosecutors to investigate media reports according to which the Croatian football supporters had been located on the national highway and placed under surveillance by the Greek Police, asking how they were able to reach the scene of the crime.
Meanwhile, according to reports, the Greek police had been aware since Sunday of the imminent arrival of the hooligans, while the authorities of the Athens Urban Rail Transport Company (STASY) also informed the police as soon as they saw them using the Athens metro on Monday evening.
On its part, AEK made the following statement: “We will not stop our efforts to find the murderers and those responsible for the death of 29-year-old Michalis, who lost his life in the bloody incidents that took place last night in Nea Philadelphia by hooligans of Dinamo Zagreb and their accomplices.”
AEK requested the immediate clarification of the case, noting that this crime committed against Greek citizens will by no means be covered up. It also spoke of criminal inaction, which played a decisive role in this crime, stressing that AEK had warned the authorities hours before. “Unfortunately, the fact that today we do not mourn more victims is solely due to the immediate intervention of the security of the stadium and the citizens.”
The clashes broke out late on Monday ahead of the Champions League third-qualifying round match between AEK and Dinamo Zagreb.
UEFA announced that it has decided to postpone the Champions League qualifier between AEK Athens and Dinamo Zagreb, while calling for the strongest possible punishment for those responsible for the violence.
“UEFA deplores in the strongest possible terms the appalling incidents that took place in Athens last night and resulted in the loss of a life,” a statement from European football’s main governing body said. “While expressing our deepest sympathy to the family of the victim, to AEK Athens FC and its fans, we would like to reiterate that violence has no place in our sport, and we expect that those responsible for this terrible act be arrested and consigned to justice in the shortest delay.
Following yesterday’s violence and in consultation with the local authorities, UEFA has decided that the conditions for the match between AEK Athens FC and GNK Dinamo to go ahead tonight are not met.”
