A total of 17 Croatian nationals were apprehended across three different locations in Greece on Tuesday due to their alleged involvement in violent clashes between fans of AEK Athens and Croatia’s Dinamo Zagreb on Monday.
A 29-year-old Greek fan was killed in the clashes, while eight fans were injured.
Amateur video of the incident showed chaotic scenes, with fans hurling flares and petrol bombs and clashing with wooden bats.
Greek police said on Tuesday they had made 88 arrests, mostly of Croatian supporters. Seven Greek police officers were also suspended pending an internal investigation, government officials said. A senior public prosecutor launched an official inquiry into the deadly clashes.
Fans gathered at the site of the fan’s death- on Tuesday, leaving flowers, church candles and black-and-yellow AEK soccer scarves at the makeshift roadside shrine. Players from AEK, which won the Greek league last season, also visited the site.
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic called his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis to express his condemnation of the violence, with the Croatian government describing the clashes as “horrific.”
In response to the clashes, European football governing body UEFA also decided to postpone a Champions League qualifying game between AEK Athens and Croatia’s Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday.
“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,” it said in a statement.
UEFA said what was going to be the second leg in Zagreb next Wednesday will now be the first leg. The second leg will be held in Athens on Friday 18th or Saturday 19th.
Source: AP News.
