THE AUTHORITIES must be congratulated for getting tough with the football hooligans and adopting a zero-tolerance approach.
Yesterday another three hooligans were given prison sentences (seven months for two of them and five months for the other) by Larnaca district court, for causing trouble on the pitch and destroying a television camera during a Europa League qualifying game. A day earlier, a 22-year-old man was sentenced to four months in prison for causing trouble at the same game; the same sentence was imposed previously on another three men, charged with the same offence. Before that a 17-year-old was banned from football grounds for three months.
What is even more commendable is the speedy handling of the cases. Normally, it would have taken two years before a suspected hooligan appeared before a judge, whereas the latest cases were dealt with in record time. Within a month of committing the offences, the troublemakers were tried and sentenced.
Nobody likes to see young men serving time – they were in their 20s – but the truth is that the authorities had to get tough. For too long tolerance was shown to hooligans who were often let off with nothing more than a police warning or a fine, if the case went to court. This approach, obviously, did not work with more and more incidents of hooliganism every year.
There were attacks on buses carrying supporters, pitched battles outside stadiums, attacks on policemen and use of Molotov cocktails, not to mention the damage caused to property. Many were injured in the trouble, but fortunately there were no fatalities, which could not have been ruled out if there was no tough action.
Against this background and with the danger of hooliganism veering totally out of control, prison sentences became an imperative. It is the strongest possible deterrent against violent and threatening behaviour at football grounds. Youngsters will think twice about engaging in mindless acts of hooliganism when there is the possibility of a prison sentence if they are caught.
The hooligans had left society with no choice other than a zero tolerance policy, which needs to be maintained if crowd trouble at sports events is to be eliminated. We hope the tough measures were not taken to impress UEFA, European football’s governing body, given that the crowd trouble took place during a European fixture. The zero tolerance approach needs to be maintained by the police and the courts, because it is the only way to end the hooliganism that plagues Cyprus sport.