Athens: A Champions League qualifying match between Greek club AEK Athens and Croatia's Dinamo Zagreb was postponed Tuesday after a fan died during a brawl involving supporters of the two teams.
The fan died of stab wounds Monday night after the brawl in the Athens suburb of Nea Filadelfeia, according to Greek police, who said they made nearly 100 arrests, according to CNN.
AEK and Dinamo were set to meet Tuesday in a Champions League qualifying match at AEK's OPAP Arena. The winner of their matches will face Belgian club Royal Antwerp for a place in the upcoming group stage of the Champions League.
Dinamo and AEK were originally scheduled to play the first leg of their series Tuesday and the second Aug. 15. After the postponement, Tuesday's game was pushed to Aug. 19, where it will serve as the second leg of the series. Away fans will be not be permitted at those matches, the Union of European Football Associations said in a statement.
Late Monday, more than an hour after the visiting team's training session ended and it left AEK's stadium, police said 100 to 120 Dinamo Zagreb fans showed up near the stadium, where AEK supporters had gathered, according to Al Jazeera).
Fans from both sides reportedly hurled molotov cocktails and stones and clashed with wooden bats. Police said the 29-year-old victim, identified only as Mihalis, was transported from the stadium to an Athens hospital. Doctors said he died of stab wounds. Eight others were injured in the brawl.
On Tuesday, people gathered at the site of the fan's death and left flowers, church candles and AEK scarves at a makeshift roadside shrine. Some AEK players also visited the site.
"UEFA deplores in the strongest possible terms the appalling incidents that took place in Athens last night and resulted in the loss of a life," the organization said in a statement. "While expressing our deepest sympathy to the family of the victim, to AEK Athens FC and its fans, we would like to reiterate that violence has no place in our sport and we expect that those responsible for this terrible act be arrested and consigned to justice in the shortest delay."
Seven Greek police officers were suspended pending an internal investigation, according to the Associated Press.
