Away fans face match ban in Cyprus after violence

Football fixtures on the east Mediterranean island are occasionally blighted by anti-social behaviour, with players and referees bearing the brunt of such actions.

REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE: Flares and firecrackers, although banned, frequently find their way into sports grounds. | Photo Credit: GETTY IMAGES

Football authorities in Cyprus announced a blanket ban on away spectators at games from January 26 after a spate of violence culminated in the serious injury of a footballer at a fixture on Tuesday.

The Cyprus Football Association (CFA) said the measure would run until the end of the current championship series. It applies to first and some second-division fixtures, as well as the quarter and semifinal Cup games, with only a small number of away team officials or sponsors allowed to be present.

Football fixtures on the east Mediterranean island are occasionally blighted by anti-social behaviour, with players and referees bearing the brunt of such actions.

Flares and firecrackers, although banned, frequently find their way into sports grounds.

A player for the first division Nea Salamina suffered damage to his hearing when a flare thrown from spectator stands landed close to him at a game with APOEL Nicosia on Tuesday.

Cyprus’s justice ministry on Thursday submitted legislation to parliament stiffening the penalties for sports-related violence, including bans on access to games of up to 10 years for repeat offenders.