1960 – Chaos unfolded at the end of a tense match between Apoel and Pezoporikos, resulting in the Apoel soccer team fleeing for their safety as a mob of Pezoporikos supporters stormed the pitch.
The match, which ended in a 1-1 draw, grew increasingly volatile in the final minutes, with tensions escalating among the fans.
Trouble began just five minutes before the final whistle when an on-pitch scuffle between two players from opposing teams drew the crowd’s ire.
By the time the game ended, hundreds of Pezoporikos fans gathered by the enclosure gate, their frustration boiling over. As the whistle blew, one fan pulled down the gate, narrowly missing a nearby policeman, and the enraged mob surged onto the field.
Apoel’s players ran for their lives as sticks, stones, and bottles were thrown their way.
One supporter, armed with a knife, further heightened the danger.
The players scrambled through the crowd, climbed over the high stadium walls, and sought refuge wherever they could. Some found safety in passing cars, while Sharalambos Shandris, an Apoel player, ran directly to the nearest police station.
Other players, including Ashiotis, Pandelis, and Sarris, sustained injuries as they tried to escape.
Ashiotis, struck multiple times in the face, managed to flee alongside his teammates by jumping over the six-foot wall into the street, where they were picked up by sympathetic motorists and taken to safety.
The mob’s aggression was halted when a former EOKA lieutenant intervened, drawing a pistol and holding the attackers at bay. Without his intervention, the situation could have resulted in far more serious injuries.
Anorthosis players, including Shailos and Govis, also stepped in to assist the Apoel team. They guided several players to safety, including taking five—Cochos, Dallis, Stellios, Ashiotis, and Pandelis—to St. George’s Church en route to Nicosia. From there, the players were later picked up by Apoel representatives and brought back to the city.
By 7:30 PM, not all Apoel players had returned to Nicosia. Those who did were treated for injuries at the team’s club. Pandelis iced a bruised ankle, while Ashiotis spoke of their near escape, saying, “We are lucky that our team did not win. Had we won, we should have all been in the hospital.”