Football hooliganism

Members of a criminal gang comprising almost 160 football hooligans were involved in the fatal injury of police officer Giorgos Lyngeridis during fan riots in Athens in December, the country's police chief has said.

A common strand of failure runs through our disasters - at the crucial moment, we were either unprepared or indifferent to what might happen.

Greece will allow its top league soccer matches to be played with fans from February 13, two months after top clubs were ordered to play behind closed doors following the severe injuring of a police officer in violence during a volleyball match.

A report submitted by Citizen Protection Minister Giannis Oikonomou to the Supreme Court prosecutor's office last week details the criminal activities of many well-known soccer hooligans and the connections, at least of some of them, to political extremism on the left and right.

Despite the strict sentences and the announcements, nothing has changed when it comes to the world of hooligans after the serious injury of a riot police officer who was struck in the leg by a naval flare on Thursday during a volleyball match between crosstown rivals Olympiakos and Panathinaikos. 

Police have arrested a man, an AEK fan, and are continuing to investigate his possible involvement in the stabbing of football fan Michalis Katsouris in August.

Katsouris, 29, was fatally stabbed by unknown persons during a clash between rival football hooligans.

Two of the parties involved in football violence that took place on Wednesday night in the area of Souroti near Thessaloniki have been arrested.

The two defendants, aged 17, were accused of violent crimes instigated by sports events, bodily harm, and attempted assault.

UEFA president Alexander Ceferin urged Europe on Wednesday to help eliminate hooliganism, which he called "the cancer of football", days after a man was killed in clashes before a match between AEK Athens and Dinamo Zagreb in Greece.

The Hellenic Police is on full alert in Athens, ahead of the football match between Panathinaikos and French side Marseille at the former's home base on Alexandras avenue, for fear of incidents following the deadly clashes on Monday night in Nea Philadelphia.

A 22-year-old Greek man died on Monday night in a violent altercation involving soccer hooligans ahead of Tuesday's match between Athens side AEK and visiting Dinamo Zagreb from Croatia.