Nea Philadelphia: Hidden ‘arsenal’ found outside AEK stadium points to pre-planned ‘rumble’ between hooligans

As a multi-pronged investigation continues into the tragic events of last Monday outside the AEK stadium, which resulted in the death of 29-year-old Michalis Katsouris, new findings were added to the “mountain” of evidence collected by Greek authorities, which support the scenario that what happened wasn’t an unprovoked attack by Croatian and Greek hooligans, but a pre-arranged ‘rumble’ between rival football ultras.

A week after the shocking street violence, which transformed an entire neighborhood in the Nea Philadelphia district into a “battle ground”, officers of greater Athens area’s anti-sports violence sub-directorate have recovered various “weapons” hidden in makeshift arsenals around the stadium by AEK supporters.

Specifically, police officers who scoured the area after receiving tip-offs found clubs and piles of rocks, which they believe AEK hooligans wanted to use against opposing ultras last Monday evening but didn’t get a chance.

«There was information that organized AEK fans had been notified about the possible arrival of fans from Croatia, and for this reason, under the pretext of distributing tickets, there was a call for them to assemble outside the stadium where the match would be held,» according to a confidential document compiled by the relevant anti-sports violence police unit.

Another piece of the “puzzle” explaining the reprehensible events of the specific “Black Monday” lies in messages that AEK hooligans exchanged with those of Dynamo Zagreb before and after the violence, which show that there was also an “understanding” for a new date to clash. Within this framework, Greek police are investigating the possibility that the recovered objects were hidden by AEK fans for use in an upcoming pre-arranged rumble.

Foreign mass media are now also beginning to refer to a pre-planned clash between hooligans, as well as citing UEFA’s concerns ahead of the Conference League Final for the 2023-2024 season, which will be held next May at AEK Athens’ stadium.

Video footage that raises several questions

In a video posted on social networks by an account that posts material from organized fan excursions and hooligan attacks, viewers can see exactly what transpired outside the AEK stadium last Monday, frame by frame.

07.08.2023, AEK Athens🇬🇷 vs BBB (Dinamo Zagreb🇭🇷), video from front of AEK stadium https://t.co/Fjy3xrlEmQ pic.twitter.com/cFjQt96uJw

— Hooligans.cz Official (@hooliganscz1999) August 11, 2023

The footage shows the movement of AEK fans who were outside the stadium at the specific time. The latter are shown preparing for the arrival of the Croatian and Greek hooligans, with the scenes indicating a pre-arranged “fatal rendezvous” in a New Philadelphia residential area that subsequently endangered the lives of innocent citizens and property. The cameras recorded AEK fans waiting for their «opponents», holding objects in their hands (clubs or wooden planks), while some of them are wearing helmets.

At the same time, over the course of the video, and a few moments before the appearance of the Croatian and rival Greek hooligans, firebombs are tossed.

Unsuspecting citizens or a pre-arranged rumble    

The scenes captured on the video clearly show that the foreign and local hooligans didn’t find unsuspecting and defenseless citizens outside the Hagia Sophia Stadium, but groups of individuals who knew about the specific ‘appointment’, and were prepared.

The video then captures the arrival of the Dinamo Zagreb and Panathinaikos hooligans, who are armed with flares, bats and knives. They’re the ones who caused the fatal injury to Michalis Katsouris, who lost his life within a few minutes later.