Soccer fans riot over Tsakalotos

Supporters of Olympiakos soccer club clashed with riot police Wednesday outside a hotel in Piraeus where Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos, a known supporter of bitter rival PAOK, was scheduled to give a speech.

Some 70 supporters gathered outside the Theoxenia hotel to protest against the government and Tsakalotos over their perceived favoritism toward PAOK at Olympiakos's expense.

Fans set fire to dumpsters, formed road blocks and threw rocks, bricks, bottles and other objects at riot police who used tear gas to disperse them.

A match between the two clubs earlier in the year was abandoned before it got started when the Olympiakos coach was struck in the face by a paper roll thrown from the stands where the PAOK supporters were seated.