After a fan was fatally stabbed, the AEK Athens vs. Dinamo Zagreb match was postponed

The match between Greek hosts AEK Athens and Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb, which was scheduled to take place on Tuesday, has been postponed by UEFA. The delay results from the fatal stabbing of a Greek football supporter following a scuffle between rival fans outside of Athens.

The altercation started on Monday evening outside the Greek capital’s Nea Filadelfeia stadium, before to the third round qualifying match between AEK Athens and Dinamo Zagreb.

Police said on Tuesday that the male, 29, passed away at a hospital. His age had been given as 22 at first.

Seven persons were receiving medical care for injuries at a hospital. According to public news station ERT, the victims included a young person who was hospitalized after being struck in the head by a stone.

84 of the 98 persons detained, according to the police, were Croatians.

Andrej Plenkovic, the prime minister of Croatia, called Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the prime minister of Greece, “to send his condolences and condemn the violence,” according to Hina, the official news agency of Croatia.

The victim’s family received condolences from UEFA, which denounced the “appalling incidents” “in the strongest terms possible.”

The requirements for the match between AEK Athens FC and GNK Dinamo to take place tonight are not satisfied, according to UEFA, which determined after yesterday’s violence and after consulting with the local authorities.

The match will be rescheduled at a later time; August 18 or 19 have been mentioned as potential dates.

The second leg, scheduled to take place in Zagreb on next Tuesday, will go on, according to UEFA.

Both teams’ supporters are prohibited from leaving the country to attend the matches.

The Greek Ministry for Citizen Protection said that supporters from both sides had fought near the Nea Filadelfia stadium, hurling rocks, incendiary devices, stun grenades, and other objects. Police said that several of them had bats.

The ministry said that the incident began after the visiting team finished their practice and departed the field while being escorted by police.

The arrestees will appear before the state prosecutor later on Tuesday, according to the Greek news agency ANA, which reported that an inquiry had been opened.

The board of directors of Dinamo Zagreb denounced the violence.

Croatia’s interior ministry said it had sent “relevant information” on supporters who would attempt to travel despite the travel ban to Greek police, Europol, and Interpol.

Numerous football games in Greece have been marred by violence.

The government upped the maximum term for fan violence from six months to five years in response to a stabbing fatality last year.

Thessaloniki in northern Greece’s Alkis Kampanos, 19, was murdered in a brawl between Aris Thessaloniki and PAOK fans in February 2022.

Five further suspects were imprisoned for involvement, while seven defendants were given life sentences after being convicted guilty of his murder.