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A Greek Super League match between rivals Olympiakos and Panathinaikos had to be abandoned on Sunday after a player was hit by a firework.
Panathinaikos left-back Juan ‘Juankar’ Carlos was warming up on the touchline shortly after halftime when he was struck by a firework and had to be carried off the pitch on a stretcher.
The game, which was being played at Olympiakos’ home stadium, was called off 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 did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Games between the two sides in the Athens derby have often been marred by violence and crowd trouble.
In 2019, a Panathinaikos home match against Olympiakos was abandoned after its fans attacked players on the visiting team’s bench and clashed with police.
Four years before that, a game was called off before the start following violence in and around the stadium and after flares had been thrown onto the pitch.
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