On March 7, Olympiacos welcomed Maccabi Tel-Aviv to the Karaiskakis Stadium, with many fans of the Israeli club making the trip to Greece ahead of the game.
Unfortunately, there were terrible scenes in Athens, the Greek Capital City, before the match after Tel-Aviv fans retaliated with violence against refugees who had voiced their opinions regarding the current Israeli-Palestine war.
Violent scenes in Athens as fight breaks out ahead of European clash
Contents
Fight breaks out in Athens
07/03/2024 Athens๐ฌ๐ท, Maccabi Tel-Aviv Fanatics ๐ฎ๐ฑ vs refugees in Athens before the match against Olympiacos pic.twitter.com/iOpDbNeKCk
— ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐ข๐๐ฅ (@thecasualultra) March 7, 2024
There were ugly scenes ahead of what was a vital clash for both Maccabi Tel-Aviv and the home side Olympiacos after a group of travelling Tel-Aviv fans were angered by comments made by a portion of the refugees living in Athens.
Chants of “F*** Israel, free Palestine” were hurled at the fans of the Israeli club, amid the ongoing war between the people of Israel and Palestine.
In response to those chants, a group of supporters, believed to be Tel-Aviv ultras retaliated with violence, and a fight between the two groups of people ensued.
The exact nationality of the refugees involved in the incident remains unknown, with several media outlets all reporting different stories in this regard.
An outbreak of violence
Violence and football have unfortunately been intertwined for far too long, and although much has been done to solve the issue, this week has been a reminder that there is plenty more still to do.
Just a day earlier, for example, several Brighton fans, two of whom received treatment for non-life-threatening stab wounds, were attacked by a group of masked people in Rome ahead of the seaside club's match against Roma.
There is certainly far less violence among fans in football today than there was previously, but these incidences are proof that it still exists.