One man killed on Greek island of Evia, police probe soccer violence

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ATHENS (Reuters) -A 20-year-old man was stabbed to death and two were injured on the Greek island of Evia on Tuesday, police said, in two separate incidents which police officials said were possibly linked to soccer violence.

Five people had been arrested, including the two injured men who were found in different areas, police spokeswoman Constantina Dimoglidou said. At least eight people were involved in the violence, she told Greek Skai TV.

“Police are trying to confirm if the motives are related to soccer violence,” said Dimoglidou.

A police official said the suspects who had been arrested on the island northeast of Athens were fans of two rival soccer teams.

Greece has been plagued by soccer violence and has promised to crack down on hooliganism – a major concern for European soccer governing body UEFA – after three people were killed in such violence in recent years.

Some of the violence has moved beyond soccer stadiums, with links between some violent fans and criminal gangs.

The number of sports-related crimes has more than doubled from about 300 in 2020 to 700 cases annually, police data show.

(Reporting by Yannis Souliotis; Additional reporting Renee Maltezou; Editing by Ros Russell)