'Ban Dinamo Zagreb': Outrage after AEK Athens' fan stabbed to death in brawl before Champions League clash

Amidst a clash between rival club supporters on the outskirts of Athens, a tragic incident unfolded as a Greek supporter of the football club AEK Athens lost his life to a stabbing, leading to the arrest of 96 individuals following violent confrontations, as confirmed by the police on Tuesday. The life of a 22-year-old young man was cut short as he was transported from the suburban stadium to an Athens hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries, as detailed by law enforcement authorities. The confrontation between opposing fans erupted on Monday evening, just ahead of the UEFA Champions League qualifying third-round match between the host team AEK Athens and Croatia's Dinamo Zagreb.

"A serious incident took place outside the Nea Filadelfeia stadium," Greek police said. "A young Greek man was stabbed to death and six other injured people are in hospital."

At least eight people have been injured, including three Greeks and five Croats.

Among those harmed is a minor who required hospitalization due to a head injury inflicted by a thrown stone, as reported by the public television channel ERT.

ANA, the Greek news agency, revealed that an inquiry into the matter had been initiated, and the detained individuals were scheduled to make appearances before the state prosecutor on Tuesday.

Tragically, this incident bears grim resemblance to past instances of violence within the realm of Greek football. In response, the government had previously extended the maximum sentence for fan violence from six months to five years, a move made following another fatal stabbing.

The year 2022 witnessed the death of 19-year-old Alkis Kampanos in Thessaloniki, a northern city, during a skirmish involving supporters of rival clubs Aris Thessaloniki and PAOK.

Just recently, a significant legal decision was reached, with seven defendants found guilty of Kampanos' murder and handed life sentences, while five others were sentenced to over 19 years for their complicity in the crime.

Tragically, this marks the third instance of fan violence-related deaths in Thessaloniki over a span of three years.

Following the tragedy, UEFA suspended the Champions League 2023-24 clash between hosts AEK Athens and Dinamo Zagreb, which was scheduled to take place on Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, outrage ensued on social media platforms with several irked football fans appealing UEFA to ban Dinamo Zagreb. 

"Hey @UEFA @ChampionsLeague I just read that a @DinamoZagrebNK "fan" killed a 22-year-old supporter of @AEK_FC_OFFICIAL in Athens! Either you ban Dinamo Zagreb from all competitions for quite a few years or you are silently endorsing terrorism as you do against Serbs about Kosovo!" wrote one outraged fan on X.

Another user added, "@UEFA @ChampionsLeague must act decisively and forbid @gnkdinamo from participating in UEFA games. The invasion of Athens by Croatian neonazis and the murder of a 22-year old are unacceptable. Anything less makes @UEFA complicit #aekfc"

A third irked user said, "None of Dinamo Zagreb fans who came to Athens should be able to leave Greece. They must be taken and interrogated by police one by one, every single of them and they must learn how to behave in another country. @kmitsotakis"

Here's a look at some of the other reactions on social media platform X: