Galatasaray attacked in Limassol

LIMASSOL, Cyprus - Hurriyet Daily News

The Galatasaray women’s volleyball team suffered an attack after a game against the Greek Cypriot team Apollon Limassol on Dec. 8, the daily Hürriyet reported.

Galatasaray players came under attack from home fans after beating Apollon Limassol 3-0 in an away game in the CEV Cup competition. Greek Cypriot fans threw seats, lighters and firecrackers at the Turkish team’s players. Turkish players were negatively affected by the pepper spray used by Greek Cypriot police officers as well.

Turkish Youth and Sports Minister Suat Kılıç strongly condemned the incident. “I condemn the Greek Cypriot violence against Turkish players at a time when the Greek Cypriot administration was getting ready for EU term presidency in an unfair and illegal manner,” Kılıç said, according to the Anatolia news agency. “I invite the international sports world to be more sensitive by not ignoring the violence perpetrated by Greek Cypriots against guest players. The Greek Cypriots should be banned from all international sports activities as they do not act in harmony with the Olympics spirit.”

Last year Pınar Karşıyaka, a Turkish men’s basketball team, came under attack by fans after a game with APOEL during the FIBA Men’s Euro Challenge Cup.