Nicosia, June 8 (UNI) A bomb exploded outside the building of the Cyprus Referees Association in the early hours of Thursday, local police said.

The incident occurred hours after the football referees held their annual meeting there at the end of the championship season.

Investigators found a makeshift explosive device at the scene, which caused extensive damage to the front of the building.

The Cyprus Sports Organization (KOA) issued a statement condemning the incident.

The attack follows an announcement by a sports ethics committee that it had launched investigations into several reports of match fixing and a government statement that such incidents must be stamped out.

According to the police, the building, situated in a thinly populated suburb of Nicosia, as well as individual referees had been the targets of bomb attacks in recent years.

In January 2020, the Cyprus Football Association (CFA) suspended football fixtures for a week after a bomb attack against the car of a member of the referees association.
UNI/XINHUA AKS