Nearly 100 Croatian soccer fans face criminal charges in Greece

Nearly 100 Croatian soccer fans appeared in an Athens court on Wednesday to face criminal charges that include murder and membership of a criminal organisation over their alleged involvement in deadly fan violence.
The handcuffed youths — many with their shirts pulled over their heads to hide their identity — appeared before an investigative magistrate a day after a 29-year-old Greek fan was stabbed to death outside AEK Athens’ stadium, prompting the cancellation of a Champions League qualifier against Dinamo Zagreb.
Court officials said the magistrate issued the blanket charges against all 103 suspects, including 97 Croatian nationals. The indictments also included charges of assault and illegal possession and use of explosive material. The murder-related charge is likely to be dropped for most of the defendants as the investigation proceeds.
Amateur video of the attack showed dozens of youths wielding bats and iron bars running past the stadium as flares and petrol bombs exploded. Ten people were injured and four remain hospitalized.
Elsewhere in Greece, police set up highway roadblocks and additional border checks to search for more suspects. Authorities announced that six Croatian nationals were arrested as they attempted to flee the country. Five of the suspects were detained in the northwestern port of Igoumenitsa as they prepared to board a ferry bound for Italy, while the sixth was arrested on a bus bound for Albania.
More violence was feared later Wednesday as Athens club Panathinaikos faced Marseille in a Champions League qualifier, which went ahead under strict security measures at Leoforos Stadium in the center of the Greek capital.
Police set up a cordon around the stadium and patrolled nearby intersections and subway stations.
By halftime no violence had been reported. Traveling French fans were not given tickets. State ERT television said three people were arrested outside the stadium for trying to carry in knives and flares.
The vice president of the European Commission, Greek politician Margaritis Schinas, condemned “the horrible violence” that occurred at AEK’s stadium.