The hooligans from Greece and Croatia arrested after 29-year-old Michalis, who was first reported as being 22 years old, was killed outside the OPAP Arena on Monday night have started accusing each other of the murder and causing the violence.
According to police sources, cited by Proto Thema, the Dinamo Zagreb hooligans and their Greek accomplices, fans of Panathinaikos (Pao), started blaming each other for the attack outside the OPAP Arena.
The same sources said that during their detention and statements to the police, the Greeks (who have been released) blamed the Croats for the murderous incidents in the Athens neighbourhood of Nea Philadelphia.
Dinamo Zagreb hooligans, for their part, say the opposite. The Croatian hooligans claim that they did not come to Athens for violence but to psychologically support their team by watching the match from local cafeterias - something which police do not believe.
At the same time, none of the 94 Croats accepts that they are the perpetrator of the 29-year-old's murder (a DNA sample has been taken from all of them to identify it with the genetic material found at the scene of the raid), and they make sure to keep a tough stance.
This version was also supported by a journalist from Dnevnik Nova TV, who claimed that the Greek police have concluded from the fingerprints that the killer of the 29-year-old AEK fan is Greek.
Journalist Marko Šepat, in a report broadcast from Athens for Dnevnik Nova, claimed that "according to unofficial information, the police have fingerprints of the killer, and he is allegedly a Greek citizen."
At the prosecutor's office, the first 94 of those arrested
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wVHJpY1FMg
Meanwhile, shortly after noon on Tuesday, 94 Croats were arrested for the deadly attack in Nea Philadelphia and were brought before the prosecutor - under draconian security measures.
The case file forwarded to prosecutors includes felony charges, the most basic of which is participation in a criminal organisation.
Five more arrested
Meanwhile, five more Croatian hooligans who were found to be involved in Monday night's murderous attack in Nea Philadelphia were spotted overnight by port and police officers in Thesprotia.
As reported by ERT, the five Croats were spotted by guards at the Igoumenitsa port while they were preparing to board the ship bound for Italy.
Initially, the five Croats were brought to the building of the Thesprotia police headquarters, with the investigation showing that they participated in the attack outside the AEK stadium with the unfortunate 29-year-old sports fan of the "yellow and black" as a victim.
The incident
According to police, the fight broke out more than an hour after the visiting team’s training session ended late on Monday, and the couple had left the AEK stadium in the Athens suburb of New Philadelphia under police escort.
About 100 to 120 Dinamo Zagreb fans gathered near the stadium, where AEK supporters had gathered, and fans from both sides hurled Molotov cocktails and stones.
Greek police said the 29-year-old victim, identified only as Mihalis, was transported from the stadium to an Athens hospital, where he died.
Three Greek and five Croatian fans were injured and treated while 98 people were arrested, police added.
According to the public television channel ERT, those injured included a minor who was hospitalised after being hit in the head by a stone.
UEFA deplored the appalling incidents “in the strongest possible terms” and expressed sympathy to the victim’s family.
“Following yesterday’s violence and in consultation with the local authorities, UEFA has decided that the conditions for the match between AEK Athens FC and GNK Dinamo to go ahead tonight are not met,” the football body said in a statement on Tuesday.
“The match planned to be played tonight at Agia Sofia Stadium in Athens is at this moment postponed.”
UEFA, though, said the second leg due to be played in Zagreb on August 15 would go ahead while an alternative date will be found for the postponed match – August 18 or 19 being the suggested possibility.
AEK said in a statement that its fan was killed by “professional killers, organised criminals who crossed the country and arrived in New Philadelphia from Zagreb to join forces here with Greek criminal accomplices with the sole purpose of killing”.
Μιχάλη, η ΑΕΚ δε θα σε ξεχάσει ποτέ! Παραδειγματική τιμωρία για τους δολοφόνους και τους υπεύθυνους! pic.twitter.com/h0ug4XosVx
— AEK F.C. (@AEK_FC_OFFICIAL) August 8, 2023
Translation: Mihalis, AEK will never forget you! Exemplary punishment for the murderers and those responsible!
The Greek champions demanded that the perpetrators be brought to justice and said it was “self-evident” that inaction “played a decisive role in this crime”.
Under a previous ruling by UEFA, Dinamo fans, who have a reputation for disorder, were barred from attending stadium matches.
Croatian media reports said about 200 fans had travelled to Athens, likely as tourists, despite the football ban.
READ MORE: Seven senior police officers removed after fan death in AEK-Dinamo Zagreb football violence.
Interesting the stabber was a Panathinaikos
Supporter and fellow Greek. Also isn’t it the Greek people that openly elect Nazis into their government?