105 fans in custody after deadly riots before football match in Athens

105 suspects have been arrested after the deadly riots before the football match between AEK Athens and Dinamo Zagreb. They are accused of being involved in the murder of a 29-year-old man.

After the serious riots in Athens before the Champions League qualifier between AEK Athens and Dinamo Zagreb, in which a 29-year-old AEK supporter was killed, 105 football fans have been taken into custody.

They are suspected of being involved in the riots in the Greek capital.

None of the accused confess to the stabbing
Three investigating judges and two prosecutors questioned the arrested fans over the weekend. 30 were questioned on Friday, 40 on Saturday and the remaining 35 on Sunday. At the end of each day, it was decided that all those questioned should be remanded in custody.

They are 102 Croatian citizens and three Greeks. Each of them denied involvement in the stabbing, which ended fatally for Michalis Katsouris.

Police said 10 other people were injured in the riot. Numerous Croatian fans attacked passers-by with wooden clubs and metal bats in front of the OPAP arena, where AEK Athens plays its home games.

The Champions League qualifier between AEK Athens and Dinamo Zagreb was postponed to 19 August by European football’s governing body UEFA in response to the riots.

The suspects will be charged with premeditated murder
Authorities will comb through the smartphone data of those suspected of being involved in the incident to identify more suspects.

The 105 fans have been charged by the prosecution. A total of 11 charges are pending, including premeditated murder and membership of a criminal organisation.

The suspects will be distributed among several prisons across the country.

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin will meet with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday morning. The two will then meet with ministers, the head of the Greek Football Federation and the owners of the four biggest football clubs in Greece. These are the owners of AEK Athens, Olympiakos Piraeus, Panathinaikos Athens and PAOK Thessaloniki.

On the same day, the UEFA Super Cup between Manchester City and Sevilla FC will be played at the stadium of Oylmpiakos Piraeus.