Bomb explodes in Limassol club president’s car

Limassol police are investigating a car bombing outside the residence of the president of Aris football club, with initial reports unclear whether police are linking the attack to recent goings-on in the world of soccer.

According to local media, a bomb went off Friday early morning around 4:30am outside the Limassol residence of 53-year-old Yiannis Panayi, the head of the town’s Aris football club.

Police said an improvised explosive device was placed in the rear of Panayi’s vehicle, under the right tire, which was parked outside his residence.

The explosion caused extensive damages to the vehicle and house windows, while additional reports said pieces of shattered glass fell on Panayi’s children who were sleeping in their beds near windows. No injuries were reported.

Preliminary reports suggested it was too early to determine motive and whether police were focusing on the car owner’s profession and job title as the head of a football team.

CID Limassol said they were investigating the incident while no scenarios had been ruled out.

The bomb attack came exactly one week after another explosion took place in Larnaca, outside the residence of Andreas Constaninou, a 33-year-old Cypriot football referee.

Ten days ago, UEFA officials had notified the Cyprus Football Association of possible match-fixing in five suspected matches, including one which was refereed by Constantinou earlier this month.