The Cyprus Championship was stopped due to a referee strike
Kenley Ward
Dailysports's expert
The referees of the Cyprus Championship announced an indefinite strike. This happened after a car belonging to the mother of one of them was set on fire.
According to Parikiak newspaper, due to the strike, the Cyprus Football Association has suspended top division games in the country.
The organization fully supported the arbitrators, who demand strengthened security measures for themselves and their families.
The incident itself occurred on the morning of September 18, when unknown persons set fire to the car of the mother of referee Menelaos Antonio. The police have already begun to investigate the incident.
Antoniou was a referee in the match between Aris and Paphos (1:1). The next match of the tournament between Salamina and Ethnikosa has been postponed indefinitely due to a referee strike caused by "repeated malicious acts" against them, according to the local football association (CFA).
In a statement, the CFA has already warned that judges will not return to work "until further notice".
It should be noted that this incident was the latest in a series of attacks. In June, unknown persons blew up the building of the Cyprus Referees Association, and in 2020, the bombing of a referee’s car has already led to the suspension of football for a week.
