Limassol derby yesterday

[fork me]

1-0 to AEL. Massive atmpsphere.

I was somewhere in the middle of this lot:



Stewards don't enter the stand area at AEL, nor do the police. Smoke bombs, flares and fireworks are all illegal in stadia here, but nobody ever seems to do anything about it. The atmosphere was awesome.

 

[Cypriot-Seagull]

I wasn't there due to work but my younger brother was there. He hasn't said a word since the game ( Apollon fan). It still amazes me how passionate they get about football in Cyprus it dominates the male society in every way.

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

Health & safety anyone?

 

[crasher]

I trust all 11 were booked when they ran to celebrate with the crowd!

Amazing racket - must have been great to be in the middle of that.

Is this THE Cyprus derby or does Nicosia have the same kind of thing?

 

[Gazwag]

Imagine getting the Amex buzzing like, that not with the pyrotechnics maybe but they could have some fireworks when we score you see it all the time on stage so there's little danger.

 

[brightonmark1234]

thats crazy

 

[fork me]

I wasn't there due to work but my younger brother was there. He hasn't said a word since the game ( Apollon fan). It still amazes me how passionate they get about football in Cyprus it dominates the male society in every way.

True. SOme of my pupils are Apollon fans, at least they'll be quiet tomorrow.

 

[fork me]

Health & safety anyone?

We don't have that here...

...no seriously. I once saw a tanker driver filling a forecourt's tanks with a fag on.

When they do bother they don't do it properly. One morning I was in one of my favourite bars in the toruist area and it was much cleaner than normal. The owner told me he had a surprise health inpesction later in the day...

I trust all 11 were booked when they ran to celebrate with the crowd!

Amazing racket - must have been great to be in the middle of that.

Is this THE Cyprus derby or does Nicosia have the same kind of thing?

It was an awesome game, awesome atmosphere. There is a Nicosia equivalent, Omonia vs APOEL. Football is political here, Apollon have a right wing nationalistic fan base, AEL have a more anarchist / lefty fanbase. In Nicosia APOEL are the right wing side and Omonia the lefties. Sometime early in their history, APOEL told all their players they had to join the fascist party if they wanted to keeop playing. Those that refused, formed Omonia. Omonia fans wear Che Guevara T-shirts to wind up APOEL and heve even been known to carry Turkish flags into the stadium. Once, in the fist year I was here, Omonia fans burned down an APOEL bar and scrawled "**** your nation" on the charred remains.

 

[fork me]

I trust all 11 were booked when they ran to celebrate with the crowd!

LOL, it was more than 11, the whole bench was there as well!

 

[El Presidente]

I've been teaching in Larnaca this weekend, and now understand why half my class skunked off early yesterday.

 

[glasfryn]

and Limassol seemed such a quiet place

take care

 

[Commander]

Looks amazing, I wish English fans could do that. It's a shame that out of 27,000 people at the Amex only about 200 people want to sing throughout the game like that. It's odd really, you'd think everyone in the North at least would want an atmosphere like that.

 

[Eric Potts]

I was enjoying that , but then thoughts of Bradford came to mind..............

 

[Superphil]

I love going to Cypriot games, even though it is totally stage managed (a la ultras) it is a great experience, and despite the violence, it makes for a superb atmosphere

 

[fork me]

I was enjoying that , but then thoughts of Bradford came to mind..............

It's OK, the stands are concrete, not wood.