The Cyprus football association KOP will decide who takes the championship title after referee Demetris Mashias abandoned Saturday’s championship deciding game between Apoel v AEL six minutes into the second half when firecrackers allegedly thrown by AEL fans, hurt an APOEL player and a doctor.
All AEL needed to do to win the title for the second time in three years, as it was just three points clear of the Nicosia side Apoel was to win or draw to lift the crown. Apoel needed to win.
Brazilian defender Kaka and doctor Costas Schizas were hurt by a firecracker allegedly thrown from the AEL fans’ stands in Limassol’s Tsireion stadium in the 51st minute of the game, when the score was still 0-0. Three minutes earlier, fans from the APOEL stand had thrown other objects onto the field now KOP has to decide what to do.It seems both sets of fans had behaved badly. Maybe one option is to play the remaining 39 minutes behind closed doors and fine both clubs.
The Brazilian required stitches in hospital for two superficial head injuries and was expected to be discharged
The police said that fans were leaving rather peacefully, while it also announced that the main roads around the APOEL club in the capital would be closed to traffic, for fear of violent outbursts or celebrations by the rowdy fans.
While the title remains undecided, both APOEL and AEL will be in the qualifying rounds of the UEFA Champions League as the 2014/15 season will be the first to include two Cypriot clubs in the preliminary rounds of Europe’s elite competition.