Football hooliganism

UEFA president Alexander Ceferin urged Europe on Wednesday to help eliminate hooliganism, which he called "the cancer of football", days after a man was killed in clashes before a match between AEK Athens and Dinamo Zagreb in Greece.

The Hellenic Police is on full alert in Athens, ahead of the football match between Panathinaikos and French side Marseille at the former's home base on Alexandras avenue, for fear of incidents following the deadly clashes on Monday night in Nea Philadelphia.

A 22-year-old Greek man died on Monday night in a violent altercation involving soccer hooligans ahead of Tuesday's match between Athens side AEK and visiting Dinamo Zagreb from Croatia.

The 12 people accused of the murder of 19-year-old Alkis Kampanos on February 1, 2022 in Harilaou, Thessaloniki and the injury of his two friends told a court on Monday that they did not beat him. 

The trial for the soccer hooligan-related incident is taking place at the Mixed Jury Court of Thessaloniki. 

Football hooliganism is closely linked to politics, nationalism, violence and organized crime in the Western Balkans, a report says, with the highest links noted in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Police in the northern port city of Thessaloniki placed three suspects under arrest on Monday in connection with the death the previous night of a 28-year-old Bulgarian man following clashes between rival soccer club fans.

Police in Thessaloniki have raided the fan clubs of two of the northern port city's biggest soccer teams, Aris and PAOK, located in the Toumba and Harilaou districts respectively, seizing a multitude of potential weapons.

We must not allow а generalisation of Bulgaria as a racist state, President Rumen Radev told reporters, referring to the allegations of racism directed at the state, following the football game between the national teams of Bulgaria and England, Focus News Agency reported.

Unknown assailants attacked and vandalized the home of an officer of a police unit that deals with sports violence early on Friday morning in the Athens district of Galatsi.

The vandals used a gas canister and flammable liquid to create a small explosion outside the officer's home and spray-painted abusive slogans on the walls.

In which European country that operates under the rule of law can a bunch of hooded individuals turn things topsy-turvy in the city centre, which  is supposed to be the best policed  part of the capital, and that be considered something to be expected or natural?