Cyprus football fans will need IDs for tickets

Football authorities in Cyprus say all fans will need to show state identity cards to buy tickets for domestic league matches in a bid to curb violence at games. Wednesday's announcement follows weekend clashes between fans of rival Nicosia clubs APOEL and Omonia, that left a 20-year-old man critically injured. The Cyprus Football Association says ID card numbers will be printed on tickets starting late this month, as a means of identifying hooligans and enforcing banning orders. The association also says visiting fans at matches that are marred by violence will be given 18-month bans from buying tickets for matches between the two teams involved.