Fan dies in Greece after clashes, UEFA postpones Champions League qualifier

NEA PHILADELPHIA, Greece — A 29-year-old soccer fan was killed in fierce in a single day clashes between rival supporters within the Greek capital, prompting European soccer governing physique UEFA to postpone a Champions League qualifying sport between AEK Athens and Croatia’s Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday.

Eight followers had been additionally injured within the in depth clashes exterior AEK’s stadium within the northern suburb of Nea Philadelphia, whereas Greek police mentioned they’d made 88 arrests, largely of Croatian supporters. Amateur video of the incident confirmed chaotic scenes, with followers hurling flares and petrol bombs and clashing with picket bats.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic known as his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis to precise his condemnation of the violence, with the Croatian authorities describing the clashes as “horrific.”

Fans gathered on the website of the fan’s dying Tuesday, leaving flowers, church candles and black-and-yellow AEK soccer scarves on the makeshift roadside shrine. Players from AEK, which received the Greek league final season, additionally visited the positioning.

Doctors mentioned the sufferer — recognized solely by his first identify, Michalis — died from stab wounds.

Gianni Infantino, president of world soccer governing physique FIFA, expressed his “deepest condolences” to the household and associates of the sufferer.

“There is absolutely no place for violence in football, on or off the field, or in society. Alongside everyone at FIFA, I stand with all those affected by this tragic incident and call on the relevant authorities to ensure appropriate action is taken,” Infantino wrote in a web-based submit.

Near the makeshift shrine, police cordoned off an space to collect proof, pulling a picket bat and different gadgets from a dumpster.

After the fan’s dying, Greek authorities had requested that each one supporters ought to be excluded from the match between on the Opap Arena.

Dinamo followers had been formally already excluded underneath a earlier ruling by UEFA.

AEK fan Kyriakos Mantzakidis, who runs a sports activities weblog, mentioned police ought to have prevented scores of Croatian followers from touring to Athens.

“This was a murderous attack against ordinary people. Many of the people gathered in this area were not soccer fans,” Mantzakidis mentioned. “It is a failure of the government to plan properly … it was a good decision to postpone the game. The atmosphere was too tense.”

Seven Greek cops had been suspended pending an inside investigation, authorities officers mentioned, whereas a senior public prosecutor launched an official inquiry into the lethal clashes.

UEFA says what was going to be the second leg in Zagreb subsequent Wednesday will now be the primary leg. The second leg shall be held in Athens on Friday 18th or Saturday nineteenth.

“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,” it mentioned in a press release. “While expressing our deepest sympathy to the household of the sufferer, to AEK Athens FC and its followers, we wish to reiterate that violence has no place in our sport and we anticipate that these answerable for this horrible act be arrested and consigned to justice within 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.”

UEFA and Greek authorities had anticipated issues within the Greek capital metropolis with back-to-back nights of Champions League qualifying video games involving visiting followers with a popularity for dysfunction.

As a outcome, UEFA had requested that no tickets ought to be bought to visiting followers for each the AEK-Dinamo sport on Tuesday and the Panathinaikos-Marseille match on Wednesday.

Croatian media reviews mentioned that some 200 followers had traveled to Athens, doubtless as odd vacationers, regardless of the soccer ban.

Dinamo has a far proper fan group, which calls itself the Bad Blue Boys.

The clashes got here within the week earlier than Manchester City and Sevilla followers come to Athens for the UEFA Super Cup sport — the normal season-opener between the title holders of the Champions League and Europa League. The sport is being performed on the Olympiakos stadium close to the port metropolis of Piraeus.

The AEK stadium additionally will host a UEFA showpiece sport this season — the ultimate of the third-tier Europa Conference League subsequent May.