Parliamentary candidate arrested for assaulting assistant referee

Costas Nicolaou, a 38-year-old parliamentary candidate for the Active Citizens – United Cyprus Hunters Movement in Limassol, has been arrested for allegedly punching an assistant referee during a STOK integration league match between Rotsidis Mammari and APOP Parekklisia. The incident occurred near the end of the match when an unknown individual threw a plastic bottle at the official, followed by Nicolaou entering the pitch to physically assault him. The match was abandoned, and the victim was treated at Larnaca General Hospital before being discharged. Nicolaou appeared before the Larnaca District Court, which ordered him to be remanded in custody for three days. While some sources state he initially admitted to the act, other reports suggest he has since retracted his cooperation and claims he is being targeted for his involvement in a previous protest by livestock farmers at Rizoelia. The political movement stated that it is awaiting the conclusion of the police investigation before deciding on the candidate's future, though his removal from the electoral list remains an possibility. Evidence has been collected by police, including spectator video footage of the incident.