Bomb attack on business of football chief.

Byline: George Psyllides

A BOMB blast yesterday shattered the windows of an insurance company belonging to the chairman of the Cyprus Football Federation (CFA) Costas Koutsokoumnis, police said.

"It is clearly a terrorist act exclusively concerning football matters," Koutsokoumnis said while appearing on state radio later on Saturday.

Police said the 2.30am blast shattered the office windows of Minerva insurance company on Omirou Street in Limassol.

The blast was caused by an improvised explosive device, police said.

"All possibilities are being investigated," Limassol CID chief Yiannakis Georgiou told reporters.

He said statements would be taken from the owner and company employees.

Koutsokoumnis said he had received a threatening phone call on Friday, by an individual who presented himself as a fan of Limassol football club AEL.

Koutsokoumnis said he informed some friends about the call but not the authorities because he had received many threatening calls in the past. But the threat was real this time.

Despite police efforts, no arrests were made as the callers were using prepaid cards, which cannot be traced.

"I have no reason to believe that the person who called was not involved; I also have no reason to believe that the team he said he supports is not his team," Koutsokoumnis said.

"I would say that a fan or fans of AEL last night placed a bomb at my company's offices in Limassol," he added. "We should be clear about this because I received a threat from a person who said he was an AEL fan."

The caller "told me a bomb would be placed at my offices in Limassol because (referee Leontios) Trattos was appointed to officiate the Aris (Limassol) versus Omonia (Nicosia) game," Koutsokoumnis said.

AEL supporters, or a section thereof, hold Trattos responsible for the loss of the cup last season.

Trattos himself was the target of a bomb attack back in June.

Hearing that he would be in Limassol caused tension and mobilisation in the coastal town, Koutsokoumnis said.

The CFA chief said he did not appoint referees.

That was the job of the referee committee, which operates under the CFA, he said.

Koutsokoumnis stressed that he did not blame anyone for the attack, nor did he blame a team or a person apart from the "unknown individual who called me, threatened me and essentially acted the way he did."

"I don't blame official AEL; I don't blame a specific person," he said. "I am just telling how things happened. Maybe it was some other fan who said he was an AEL fan."

Police spokesman Michalis Katsounotos, who appeared on the same radio show, suggested that the CFA chief should have handled the situation differently.

"We all need to be careful. It would have been preferred if you avoided publishing the circumstances of this criminal act," Katsounotos said.

The attack comes amid a raging debate about hooliganism that followed the critical injury of a 20-year-old man during clashes between rival fans last week.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2009

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