Greek Super League encounter between fierce rivals Panathinaikos and Olympiakos had to be prematurely ended on Sunday following an incident where a player was hit by a firework.
The unfortunate incident occurred as Panathinaikos’ left-back, Juan ‘Juankar’ Carlos, was going through his warm-up routine along the sideline shortly after the start of the second half. He was struck by a firework, which led to him being carried off the field on a stretcher.
The match, which was taking place at Olympiakos’ home stadium, had to be abandoned with the score tied at 1-1.
“The derby … was not completed as there was an interruption in the 50th minute due to an injury to Juankar,” Panathinaikos said in a statement.
“A firecracker was launched from the home team’s stand and exploded at the spot where the (Panathinaikos) football players were warming up. Juankar fell to the ground in a daze, while he also had a problem with his hearing.
“The game did not restart and the referee closed the match sheet in a match whose fate will be decided in the courts…”
The Greek Super League and the Greek Football Federation have not yet provided a response to the request for comment.
Historically, matches between the two sides in the Athens derby have frequently been tainted by incidents of violence and crowd disturbances.
Back in 2019, a Panathinaikos home fixture against Olympiakos was prematurely halted when Panathinaikos fans assaulted players seated on the visiting team’s bench and clashed with law enforcement.
Furthermore, four years prior to that incident, a match was canceled before kick-off due to violence both within and around the stadium, coupled with the throwing of flares onto the pitch.