Tear gas and bloody clashes took center stage at the Agios Thomas Stadium yesterday ahead of the rematch between Panathinaikos and Olympiacos for the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup, causing the volleyball match to be postponed until today at 2:30 pm. During the infiltration of the fans into the facility, tensions arose, the police used chemicals to turn the enclosed space into a gas chamber, and there were also several injured people who were taken to the hospital. The stadium was evacuated, and the Bulgarian observer, together with the police, offered to play the match without spectators. “The pain in my eyes is the worst thing I have ever felt. We cannot see. This is a sport, not a war. God help the Olympiacos players,” Olympiacos player Hidalgo wrote on his social media page, among other things, while in the dressing room, describing the indoor conditions.

After 20.00 the atmosphere began to clear up, but the closed one was frozen, as the inhabitants of Olympiacos pointed out. As a result, it was decided that the match will take place today, behind closed doors.

The Greens put the blame on the police with their sharp statement. “In a match where everyone at Panathinaikos did their best to turn it into a real volleyball celebration, unfortunately it looks like the police who were in charge of the stadium were not of the same opinion. The attitude of the police towards season ticket holders from the very first moment was aggressive, and as a result there was a lot of tension, which had not been before this moment. Intentionally or not on the part of the police, they started incidents that left many fans injured, and as if that weren’t enough, police forces fired tear gas ON the stadium and another on the gate 3 entrance steps. This is a CRIMINAL act and raises questions about who gave this order,” the message reads, among other things.