In a startling turn of events, an 18-year-old confessed on Sunday to assaulting a 31-year-old police officer during a heated volleyball match between local rivals Olympiakos and Panathinaikos in Rentis, Piraeus, last Thursday night.
The 31-year-old police officer, who sustained severe injuries during the incident, is currently in critical condition at the General State Hospital of Nikaia, known as “Saint Panteleimon.”
Hailing from Ilio, Attica, the young man is identified as an organised fan of Olympiakos. Following the violent clashes with riot police outside the stadium, he was taken into custody along with 423 other suspects on Thursday.
According to the 18-year-old’s admission, fans were allegedly signaled to exit the stadium and initiate an attack against the riot police. In a troubling revelation, he claimed that an older fan passed him a flare and demonstrated how to activate it.
The young man then threw the flare, witnessing it hit the ground before noticing a police officer kneeling. Subsequently, he re-entered the volleyball stadium and was apprehended along with the other suspects.
In an unexpected twist, the 18-year-old’s father, speaking to state broadcaster ERT, expressed shock at his son’s involvement in the incident.
He stated that had he known about his son’s participation, he would have willingly testified to provide information about the incident in hopes of mitigating the sentence.
The father emphasised his son’s youth, mentioning that he is currently in school pursuing a career as a plumber and expressing disbelief that he could be involved in such actions.
Source: Ekathimerini.
