Police said they were attacked by a large group of assailants who used stones, sticks, flares, pieces of metal, and Molotov cocktails as weapons. The violence started two hours before a game between Olympiakos and Panathinaikos, which are the two biggest soccer clubs in Greece. Police released a statement which said hooligans started breaking doors in the stadium before the game kicked off and attacked police. They then let other fans in through the broken doors.
Eyewitnesses said a large group of fans without tickets tried to gain entrance into the stadium by going through the nearby basketball courts. The game finally started, but violence flared up again at halftime. This was the result of Panathinaikos fans storming police lines. However, instead of calling the game off, the second half started about an hour late after the violence had subsided.
Predictably, things turned violent again when the game ended as fans started hurling Molotov cocktails around the stadium and ripped up seats. In addition, one of the giant television screens in the stadium was partly burned. After the game, Greek police displayed photographs of flares and Molotov cocktails that had been seized in the stadium. They said they also seized several four-gallon containers of flammable liquid which had been placed outside the doors of the stadium, which was meant to resupply the hooligans.
The Olympic Stadium is a symbol Greek history and was used in the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004 to host track and field events. However, it wasn’t built with heavy-duty doors and doesn’t have turnstiles in it, making it a somewhat risky venue to hold soccer games. City cleanup crews attempted to clear up the mess the following day. One of the stadium’s display screens was visibly burned and dried blood could be seen in some of the seating aisles.
Mihalis Chrysohoidis, Greek’s Public Order Minister, told the press that this type of violence happens because it took place in the past and nobody was punished for it. Panathinaikos FC released a formal apology for the incident, but it’s believed the club may face a stiff fine. The club, along with Olympiakos, are the top two in the nation and the rivalry between the teams’ supporters has become so troublesome that only home fans are allowed at games between them.
One fan felt the trouble began because there was a large police presence at the game, but another refuted this and said it was organized mayhem. He said there was a large number of police at the stadium because authorities anticipated violence. He added that one of the Panathinaikos fan clubs wanted to attack the police since they used heavy-handed behavior against them at a recent basketball game.
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