Fan riot leads to Athens derby being called off (VIDEO)

24 Nov, 2015 12:21

Fans fought with riot police as the Athens derby between Panathinaikos v Olympiakos was called off after flares were thrown and violence broke out at the stadium.

The fixture, known as 'the derby of the eternal enemies', has a history of violence between supporters and as visiting supporters are banned in the Greek Superleague, Olympiakos fans were not in the stadium.

Olympiakos striker Alfred Finnbogason was hit by a flare as he walked on the Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium pitch with his team-mates. Eventually the match called off 30 minutes after the scheduled kick-off, with fans invading the pitch afterwards.

The violence had initially started outside the ground, with over 50 people arrested.

The pitch was littered with broken chairs, flares and advertising boards as fans fought the riot police brought in to control the situation.

Olympiakos leads the table by eight points from Panathinaikos.