In the second play off during the Men’s
European Cup South Conference Basketball Match, Greek Cypriot fanatics threw
crackers at the Turkish Tuborg Pilsener team, who won against the Pizza
Ekspress Apollon Limassol Team by 84-71.
The match between Izmir’s Tuborg
Basketball team and Limassol’s Apollon Basketball team, which was played on
January 23, was delayed for two-hours because crackers were thrown on to the
court by fanatical Greek Cypriot supporters.
Hundreds of Greek Cypriots filled the
tribunes carrying Greek flags and huge pictures of George Grivas, the leader
of the EOKA terrorist organization and shouting: "Grivas lives and is
giving us strength in our struggle. Death to the Turks". Moreover, a
Greek Cypriot soldier who trampled on the Turkish flag was greeted with cheers
from the other Greek Cypriot fanatics, who held up a a huge picture of Grivas
to him and chanting, "Grivas lives, death to the Turks", threw three
explosives crackers on to the court.
According to the Greek Cypriot daily ‘Alithia’,
as the Turkish team entered the court for warm up exercises, Apollon
supporters started to throwi crackers at them. The Turkish team were then
forced to go back to the changing room, and after a while when they went back
on to the court again, Greek Cypriot supporters still continued to throw
crackers and a fight broke out between the Greek Cypriot police and Apollon
supporters. The Turkish team had to go back to the changing rooms again and
the match could only start after the tribunes were emptied by the Greek
Cypriot police.
