Man arrested for hurting Olympiakos coach, who got released from hospital
A 27-year-old man was arrested late on Sunday accused of hurling the till roll that struck Olympiakos manager Oscar Garcia on Sunday at PAOK’s Toumba Stadium in Thessaloniki that forced the referee not to start the game between the two teams. The Spanish coach left hospital on Monday.
Police said the man, allegedly a PAOK fan, was arrested about half an hour after the incident. The same person had been arrested two years ago for hurling a flare at the same stadium. He still managed to return to the stands and repeat his offense.
Garcia spent Sunday night in a Thessaloniki hospital under police protection and was released on Monday morning. His diagnosis included sensitivity to his left temporal joint, dizziness, neck pain and nausea.
Olympiakos also alleges that PAOK officials attacked members of the Olympiakos squad, particularly officials of the Piraeus club, with its spokesman Costas Karapapas asking PAOK to issue an apology at least.
PAOK responded that Olympiakos arrived at Toumba determined to torpedo the game, with manager Razvan Lucescu referring to Olympiakos as “cowards”, and press spokesman Kyriakos Kyriakos speaking of “delusions of injuries”.
Police also reported serious trouble outside the Toumba stadium, with hundreds of PAOK fans trying to attack the Olympiakos players and officials, who eventually left he stadium late at night under strong police protection. There police officers were reported injured.
