Knives seized before kick-off
Six Bulgarian nationals were arrested on Wednesday near Athens, a few hours before the Champions League qualifying second leg between AEK Athens and Levski Sofia. The information came from a Greek police source.
The arrests were made during vehicle checks at the Elefsina and Afidnes tolls, about 30 kilometres from the capital. Police found and seized three knives in the vehicles of those detained.
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Case opened over sports law offences
The six men were taken to the department in charge of tackling organised sports violence. Criminal proceedings have been opened against them for weapons offences and breaches of sports law.
The match, scheduled for 9.00pm local time in Nea Filadelfia, west Athens, is taking place under tight security. Greece has tightened safety measures around football matches in recent years after a string of clashes between supporter groups.
The memory of August 2023 still hangs over it
The last major incident came in August 2023, when an AEK fan died after being stabbed near the Athens stadium during clashes between Greek and Croatian supporters ahead of a Champions League qualifying match against Dinamo Zagreb. UEFA described the scenes as “horrendous incidents” and postponed the game.
It is against that backdrop that the Greek authorities are stepping up checks ahead of high-risk matches such as Wednesday night’s fixture.
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