Handball victim of hooligans
Ten people were injured during ugly clashes between hooligans in Lamia, central Greece, on Saturday ahead of a handball tournament. Supporters of two of the four teams taking part in the competition, AEK and PAOK, fought in the city center before continuing their brawl in the indoor arena where the matches were due to be held. Dozens of seats were ripped up and thrown by the fans, who also hurled flares at each other before riot police restored order. The tournament was called off and General Secretary for Sport Panayiotis Bitsaxis has called members of the handball federation to his office for talks today. The worst violence took place in the center of Lamia, where more than 100 PAOK fans attacked an AEK supporters’ club, throwing petrol bombs and stabbing two rival fans. Some 250 AEK fans then fought running battles with the hooligans from Thessaloniki, resulting in several shops and cars being seriously damaged. Organizers blamed the police for not being properly prepared but officers said that they were caught off guard by PAOK fans traveling through the night in private cars to stage their morning attack.
