Page 45 - bne magazine September 2023

bne September 2023 Southeast Europe I 45
AEK players celebrate making it through to the Champions League qualifying play off stage after a draw against GNK Dinamo Zagreb. / AEK
"It would be good if, as the parents of our citizens wrote to me to help them, and I ... am helping, he [Milanovic] might be asked not to help them anymore. The more he helps them like this, the longer their sons will probably be in Greek custody," said Plenkovic.
Justice Minister Ivan Malenica complained on August 16 that Milanovic's statements were hindering efforts to support the fans.
Greece rejected Milanovic’s claim that the country does not abide by the rule of law.
In response to a journalist’s question about Milanovic’s statement, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Stratos Efthymiou said: “The independent Greek judiciary will judge the case impartially and objectively, respecting the fundamental rights of all those remanded into custody ... Under the current circumstances, any statements that distort reality are not helpful.”
Further conflict emerged when a Greek web portal published the personal data of some Dinamo supporters. Hina reports that the Croatian Personal Data Protection Agency (AZOP) has sent a request to the Greek regulator to take action.
Calming tensions
As well as the upcoming meeting between Plenkovic and Mitsotakis, Croatian Football Federation (HNS) president Marijan Kustić and Hellenic Football Federation (EPO) president Panagiotis Baltakos said on August
18 that they want to work together to defuse tensions, the HNS announced on Facebook.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin also met with Mitsotakis on August 16. At
a press conference afterwards, Ceferin called for the "cancer of hooliganism” to be removed from football.
UEFA announced on August 19 that fans of GNK Dinamo will not be allowed to attend any away matches for the remainder of the 2023/24 season of UEFA club competitions.
counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis during the visit to resolve issues relating to the violence.
Separate meetings between Croatian Justice Minister Ivan Malenica and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman with their Greek counterparts are also planned.
Riots in Athens
An Athens court mandated pre-
trial detention for all 105 arrested individuals linked to the violent clashes outside AEK stadium on August 7. The clashes resulted in the death of AEK supporter Michalis Katsouris.
Of the detained individuals, 102 are Croatian nationals, two are Greeks and one is an individual of Albanian descent born in Greece.
The charges include allegations of setting up a criminal organisation and involvement in premeditated murder.
The violence unfolded on the night of August 7, before the scheduled UEFA Champions League third-qualifying- round match between AEK Athens and Dinamo Zagreb.
A confrontation between football fans escalated, ultimately leading to
Katsouris' death. Video footage from the riots showed youths carrying weapons running past the stadium in Athens. Greek Public Order Minister Giannis Oikonomou acknowledged police errors and suspended seven officers.
Violence condemned
Croatian officials have condemned
the violence. However, they also face pressure from the families of those detained to ensure they are not treated harshly while in detention, and receive fair trials.
Around 20 parents of those arrested protested outside the foreign ministry in Zagreb on August 14 to ask for their children to be protected.
Croatian President Zoran Milanovic fanned the flames on August 15, when he claimed that the Croatians arrested in Athens were being detained “as if there was a war going on” and “treated like criminals”.
Plenkovic said on August 15 that the Croatian authorities and diplomats are making the “greatest possible efforts” to help the detained Croatian fans.
At the same time, he accused Milanovic of “sending messages that are not well received” in Athens.
www.bne.eu