Burnley supporter stabbed on night of gloom in Greece
A Burnley supporter was stabbed and three other fans were beaten up and robbed as violence overshadowed last night’s Europa League qualifying play-off in Greece.
It was reported that the supporter was set upon in a knife attack outside the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium before the match and required stitches for his wound.
Twenty-three Burnley fans were also arrested for being drunk, disorderly and refusing to board coaches provided by the club. Around 1,000 supporters travelled to Athens for the match.
There was gloom on the pitch for Burnley, who had Ben Gibson sent off as their hopes of progress to the group stage suffered a heavy blow.
After Chris Wood’s 33rd-minute penalty cancelled out a free-kick from the hosts’ captain Kostas Fortounis, Olympiakos regained the lead through an Andreas Bouchalakis header in the 49th minute.
Fortounis then converted a penalty of his own on the hour mark to extend the Greek side’s advantage.
That spot-kick had been given for a handball by Gibson, who was shown a second yellow card by Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic – having also been booked for giving away the free-kick that led to Bouchalakis’ goal – and Burnley will have it all to do in the return at Turf Moor on Thursday.
Burnley wore black armbands as a mark of respect for club legend Jimmy Mcilroy, who died on Monday aged 86. Substitute Sam Vokes bundled the ball over the line late in the game but the flag was raised for offside. Manager Sean Dyche felt hard done after the defeat, saying: “My thoughts are those brilliant fans there that have travelled over, and I feel for them because they just want to see their team play in Europe with 11 players. Nothing else.
“That wasn’t the case tonight, but you live and learn. We’ve been told varying things about what can go on in these games and I think we’ve experienced a lot.”
Asked about the importance of having a strong referee in front of a partisan crowd in Greece, Dyche said “Well, I’ve got to be careful, as usual, what I say.
“But for the life of me I don’t understand why he’s booked Ben Gibson [again]. The first one maybe but the second one he’s gone to block a shot and it’s hit his hip, it’s hit his hand. How can that be deemed deliberate handball? It’s just an impossibility.
“Then he gives him the yellow card and it’s probably the world record for how quickly he got it out of his pocket, and then gets Ben Gibson sent off. Then the whole game we’re having to hold on to make sure we preserve what it is at that time and take our away goal back.”