A 22-year-old fan died on Tuesday after being critically hurt in a fight between followers of the AEK Athens and Dinamo Zagreb football teams in Athens, according to the semi-state Athens News Agency.
A police spokesman said the guy was stabbed multiple times after fights between fans of both teams outside AEK’s football grounds in Northeast Philadelphia late Monday.
According to police, 100 to 120 Dinamo Zagreb fans arrived late Monday near the AEK stadium, where AEK followers had assembled. Clashes erupted more than an hour after the visiting team’s training session concluded and the players had left the stadium, with fans on both sides flinging flares, homemade bombs, and stones, according to police.
Three Greek and five Croatian supporters were also hurt and are being treated, while 98 individuals were detained for their involvement in the incident, according to the police spokesman.
On Tuesday, AEK will host visiting Dinamo Zagreb in a UEFA Champions League qualifying round encounter at AEK’s stadium.
On and off the field, Greek football has been plagued by violence, and officials have frequently pledged to clean up the game.
Despite severe penalties, fights among football fans are common before and after games.
