Cyprus football matches axed as refs strike over bomb attack
January 17, 2020
The Cyprus Football Association (CFA) on Friday announced that all matches were suspended indefinitely after referees went on strike following a bomb attack targeting one of their member's cars.
The CFA said in a statement that matches across all divisions are on hold and condemned the bombing as "an act of terror."
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Police said the early morning detonation of an explosive device placed on the hood of the car caused extensive damage to the vehicle, which belonged to 33-year-old referee Andreas Constantinou.
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The bombing, which took place in the southern coastal town of Larnaca, comes amid match-fixing allegations and rumors of questionable betting activity on three second-division matches and two cup matches.
On Monday, European football governing body UEFA sent the Cypriot federation five notifications to monitor suspicious betting trends. The match-fixing allegations are currently under police investigation.
UEFA has sent the national football association a total of 84 notifications of match-fixing since 2011, according to Cypriot media.
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'Time to clean house'
UEFA's allegations prompted Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades to pledge to make the sport safer. "We'll no longer tolerate some criminal elements who have nothing to do with the sport to blacken the name of Cypriot football and of the country," he said.
Anastasiades added that it was "time to clean house" so that fans and spectators could continue to enjoy the sport without fear over "who and how they wagered and what will be the outcome of the match."
The Cyprus Referees Association on Friday issued a statement condemning what it called "ill-advised" remarks by officials suggesting they are involved in sport corruption. The referees say such comments only make the situation worse by potentially inspiring such attacks.
The small Mediterranean island nation has been mired in allegations of match-fixing and illegal betting, and subsequent bomb attacks on referees' vehicles, over the past five years.
This week's suspension is not the first time that Cyprus has called off matches. In 2015 the CFA suspended games for one week after another strike following a bomb attack.
lc/stb (AFP, AP)
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