Courtesy: Cyprus Mail


Dark side to the growing popularity of pro futsal

by Peter Stevenson

November 17, 2012

TWO players from AEL’s futsal team were injured by APOEL fans after their match at the Melkonian stadium in Nicosia on Thursday night.
“In spite of warnings by the police that the (Melkonian) stadium was unfit to stage the game and there would be no police presence, the game went ahead resulting in incidents and some damage to the stadium, caused by a section of APOEL fans,” police spokesman Andreas Angelides said yesterday.

According to Angelides a letter was sent by the police to the president of the Cyprus Football Association (KOP) on November 12. In the letter he was warned that Melkonian stadium was unfit to host the game and according to the existing law, should not go ahead.

But sources at KOP claimed yesterday that the letter police sent only informed them that there would be no police presence at the game.
Futsal has become increasingly popular as a spectator sport, but traditional rivalries between the big clubs have meant a growing number of incidents between fans at futsal matches.

“We may have to meet with KOP to discuss whether the increase in incidents in futsal matches might require a police presence,” Angelides responded.

During the incident on Thursday, a firecracker was thrown into the changing room after the match -- which APOEL won 9-2 -- resulting in the injury of two AEL players, aged 29 and 23. Rocks were also thrown and windows broken.

“We were lucky that we caught wind of what might happen and managed to make a run for it before the firecracker was thrown into the changing room, otherwise it wouldn’t have only been two or three of us that got severely injured,” said AEL player Pambos Demetriou.

According to Robert Ursell who plays for APOEL, Thursday’s incident was in retaliation to a clash when the two teams met earlier in the season in Limassol.






Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com