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The justice minister of Cyprus unveiled a number of measures on Wednesday to stop fan violence at sporting events, including increased body searches, drug and alcohol testing before games, and tougher policing.
The actions follow clashes between opposing spectators at a basketball playoff game between rivals Anorthosis and Apollon in Nicosia’s Tassos Papadopoulos stadium, where public transportation offices were set on fire.
Police will be able to administer drug and alcohol tests to suspected users ahead of sporting events, according to Justice Minister Anna Koukkides-Procopiou.
Police will conduct more thorough searches of spectators entering venues, and they’ll increase the maximum 10-year ban for convicted offenders.
Sports and other “high-risk” events will be exclusively policed by a riot squad, and police inspections and oversight of visiting fans will be stepped up.
In connection with the violence at the basketball game that resulted in three Nicosia Public Transport offices across from the stadium catching fire after being hit by Molotov cocktails, the police detained three people.
Several police and private vehicles parked outside the stadium were damaged, according to the police, and six officers were hit with flares, Molotov cocktails, rocks, and other projectiles.
Because he allegedly refused to assist investigators looking into the violence, one officer who had accompanied Apollon fans aboard their bus has been suspended pending a disciplinary investigation, according to police.
Nikos Christodoulides, the president of Cyprus, denounced the violence and said it was no longer acceptable.
Every time there are such incidents, there are meetings and more meetings, he said to reporters on Tuesday. “It’s been discussed, discussed again. “Decisions need to be made now.”
Fan groups blamed law enforcement for not doing its job, but police officials spoke out against what they claimed was a lack of support for officers dealing with such violence on the front lines.
Other actions Koukkides-Procopiou announced a more active police role in the issuance of fan identification cards, which were implemented to prevent disorderly behavior by fans who were trying to hide their identities.
She declared that all stadiums hosting premier sporting events would have closed-circuit cameras installed.
The minister also said that the attorney general’s office would look into legal changes that would allow police to impose either a ban on out-of-town fans, if necessary, or a complete cancellation of the event.
