UEFA postpone Champions League match after football fan stabbed to death
UEFA have postponed a Champions League match after a Greek football fan died after being stabbed during a violent clash between supporters in Athens.
Police said the man was stabbed multiple times as fans of AEK Athens and Dinamo Zagreb fought ahead of their Champions League qualifying match. Eight others were injured during the violence and 98 people were arrested.
"A serious incident took place outside the Nea Filadelfeia stadium," Greek police said. "A young Greek man was stabbed to death and six other injured people are in hospital." Reuters state that violence broke out after more than 100 Dinamo Zagreb fans showed up near AEK's stadium where a number of home supporters had already gathered, with flares, stones and makeshift explosives being thrown by both groups.
The clashes took place over an hour after Zagreb had completed a training session and left the stadium. An eyewitness who owns a nearby shop told Greek newspaper Proto Thema : "About 10 pm, I had the shop half full and someone came and alerted me.
"A person from AEK came and said that the Croats are going to descend. He told me little by little to chase people away. After 10 minutes they started setting fires. Around 200-300 people started and broke everything.
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"On the way down, the store starts to empty, they threw chairs at each other and met 20-30 [AEK fans]. They hit everywhere, whatever they could find. The [violence] lasted half an hour. They had very wild moods, they had clubs, they were organised."
UEFA announced the match would be postponed and played at a later date, insisting: "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. While expressing our deepest sympathy to the family of the victim, to AEK Athens FC and its fans, we would like to reiterate that violence has no place in our sport and we expect that those responsible for this terrible act be arrested and consigned to justice in the shortest delay.
In a statement, Dinamo Zagreb slammed the incident and offered "sincere condolences" to the family of the man who died. The statement read: "GNK Dinamo strongly condemns the riots that took place last night in Athens, in which, according to the reports of the Greek police and Greek and Croatian media, rioters from Croatia were involved in an incident with fans of the Greek football club AEK.
"Such events are not in line with the values and ethics we promote as a club and community. As a sports organization, we are always dedicated to promoting fair play, sportsmanship and a positive atmosphere in stadiums.
"Riots not only threaten the safety of everyone present, but also damage football's reputation as a sport that unites people and cultures. We express our deep concern over this incident. Unfortunately, one person lost his life during the riots. GNK Dinamo would like to express its sincere condolences to the family of the deceased.
"Once again, we remind and invite all Dinamo fans not to travel to the match in Greece, considering that UEFA, in agreement with the police, decided that both matches will be played without visiting fans. GNK Dinamo remains committed to creating an environment in which love for sport is expressed in a positive way, through togetherness, respect and cooperation."
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