Hooligans send five PAOK fans to hospital, burn a van ahead of final
Five PAOK supporters were taken to hospital injured and their van got burnt as they were attacked by some 100 AEK fans on their way to the Greek Cup final at the Olympic Stadium of Athens on Saturday afternoon.
Almost four hours before the evening kick-off, the group of AEK fans – some of them carrying bats – who were walking to the stadium spotted a white van carrying five or six PAOK supporters near the Olympic Stadium at Maroussi.
They forced the PAOK fans off the vehicle, beat them up and set the van on fire using Molotov cocktails. Five PAOK supporters were taken to Evangelismos hospital with minor injuries, according to Skai radio.
About an hour later there were fresh clashes reported on Kifissias Avenue, by the Hygeia hospital, between rival fans.
This follows a night of major violence in Athens city center, with one fan stabbed and eight police officers injured.
The bulk of PAOK supporters are arriving at the stadium by coach under heavy police escort.
This Cup final is supposed to be Greek soccer’s last chance to show it has cleaned up its act and can avoid the threatened excommunication from the international game, known as the ”soccer Grexit”.
