NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — The government of Cyprus wants the legal power to prohibit fans from soccer matches deemed a security risk and to ban organized fan groups if they’re not under the supervision of soccer club authorities, the country’s justice minister announced on Friday.
Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis said in a statement a draft bill will immediately submitted for an vote that would give the government such authority.
The decision comes after President Nikos Christodoulides said Cyprus Football Association measures aimed at squeezing soccer clubs to rein in violent fans don’t go far enough.
Christodoulides called the FA measures “a step in the right direction.” Βut he said the government was obligated to ensure the safety of all citizens inside and outside soccer stadiums and would announce it’s own measures.
“I recognize that some of these measures won’t be liked by some,” Christodoulides said. “What I’m interested isn’t to be liked, but to be effective. . . . We’re not playing with the safety of any citizen.”
The FA said earlier that it won’t hesitate to impose the heaviest penalties on clubs whose fans resort to violence at matches.
Such penalties include a complete ban on supporters, fines of up to half a million euros (around $540,000), points deductions and even relegation, as the Cyprus FA grapples with a spike in violence that has even rattled the government.
The FA has come under mounting pressure to take tougher action following a string of incidents that put into question its ability to stop supporters whose behavior in stadiums has gotten progressively worse.
That’s why Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis sat in on an ad-hoc meeting of the FA executive board and soccer club presidents to hear what they intend to do.
In a statement following the meeting, the FA repeated a decision it made this week to ban away team fans for the remainder of the season, starting this weekend, and said it would revisit the measure if “results aren’t satisfactory.”
On top of that, it said that its adjudicator wouldn’t hold back in imposing the toughest penalties under his mandate.
The measures appear directed primarily at getting club bosses to clamp down on any trouble.
“All these measures aren’t just theoretical or wishful thinking,” the FA said. “They affirm the FA’s determination for soccer matches to be held under conditions of safety and that applies for all, players, coaches and little children” in the stands.
Hartsiotis’ presence was at the direction of President Christodoulides, who on Thursday made it clear he’s not tolerating any more dithering.
The FA meeting came two days after a Cyprus Cup game between Limassol rivals Apollon and AEL was called off after some fans ran onto the field and hurled flares in the stands before kickoff.
The incident incensed Christodoulides, who called what unfolded “unacceptable” and said this could “not be allowed to continue.”
Some criticism was leveled at the police, but Christodoulides appeared to absolve the force of the blame, saying there were 340 officers at the game.
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