Panathinaikos vs. Olympiacos Match Suspended Amidst Violent Riots

Things got well out of hand during last night's Athens derby between Panathinaikos and Olympiacos, according to ESPN. Shortly after ticketless fans clashed with police outside the stadium, Panathinaikos fans inside turned their flares against Olympiacos players, hitting forward Alfred Finnbogason on the leg as the team took the field. Even before the starting whistle was blown, referees determined the match conditions to be too dangerous to resume, and postponed it until an undetermined date.

Stuðningsmennirnir í Grikklandi eru svo bilaðir! Blysi hent í Alfreð Finnboga https://t.co/gSu6PjYu57 #fotboltinet pic.twitter.com/9vABHXZKYk
— Magnús Már Einarsson (@maggimar) November 21, 2015

Clashes only escalated after the referee's decision (as you can see in the above-video), when fans started rifling flares and smoke bombs at police carrying shields. The police, in turn, started retaliating—one officer is seen throwing an object at the fans. The grounds were evacuated a full hour-and-a-half after the match was supposed to start.

"Over 50 persons were detained inside and outside the stadium … so far, 16 have been charged," police announced, reporting that three policemen were injured in the clash.

Officials are starting to question whether or not Panathinaikos is allowed to play—either under the same conditions, or at all. Club chairman Yiannis Alafouzos weighed in.

"I intend to submit my resignation. I will propose to the board to consider whether Panathinaikos should continue to participate in the league," Alafouzos said in an official statement.

ESPN postulates that Panathinaikos will probably forfeit the game, could be fined, docked points, and play home games without fans from here on out. The Egyptian league operated with a similar empty stadium setup in February, after 19 people were killed during [clashes with the police](Panathinaikos will likely forfeit the game and, depending on the referee's report, it could also be docked points, fined and made to play a number of home games behind closed doors.).

The Greek Super League already has a rule that no visiting fans are allowed into a stadium to prevent violence. Keeping with the rule, no Olmypiacos fans were in attendance on Saturday.

[h/t BreatheSport for video, ESPN]