Greek police arrest 8 Romanian soccer fans ahead of Steaua Bucharest-PAOK Europa League match

THESSALONIKI, Greece — Greek authorities arrested eight Romanian football fans under fan violence laws on Thursday, after a knife and a retractable baton were found in the van they were travelling in ahead of a Europa League match.

The fans were in a convoy of two vans and a car heading to Thessaloniki for the match between Steaua Bucharest and Greek club PAOK when their vehicles were searched at the Promachonas border crossing between Bulgaria and Greece, police said.

They were arrested under stricter regulations introduced as part of a crackdown on fan violence that has plagued Greek soccer in particular, and sports events in the country in general, for decades.

The eight men, aged from 31 to 54, all had tickets to Thursday night’s match, police said. They were arrested on suspicion of violating weapons laws and resisting arrest, and were to appear in court on Friday.