A total of 17 Croatian nationals were arrested Tuesday in three different locations in Greece over their alleged involvement in violent clashes between fans of AEK Athens and Dinamo Zagreb of Croatia 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 throwing flares and Molotov cocktails and clashing with wooden bats.
Greek police announced Tuesday that they had made 88 arrests, most of them Croatian sympathizers. Seven Greek police officers were also suspended pending an internal investigation, government officials said. A top prosecutor has opened an official investigation into the deadly clashes.
Supporters gathered at the site of the supporter’s death on Tuesday, laying flowers, church candles and black and yellow AEK football scarves at the makeshift roadside shrine. Players from AEK, winners of the Greek championship 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 “horrible”.
In response to the clashes, UEFA, European football’s governing body, also decided to postpone a Champions League qualifying match between AEK Athens and Croatian Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday.
“UEFA deplores in the strongest terms the appalling incidents which took place in Athens last night and which resulted in deaths,” it said in a statement.
UEFA said what was due to be the second leg in Zagreb next Wednesday would now be the first leg. The return match will take place in Athens on Friday 18 or Saturday 19.
Source: AP News.
