Anorthosis protests refereeing after Apollon defeat while APOEL dominates AEL

Anorthosis Famagusta suffered a 1-3 defeat against Apollon Limassol at the Alphamega Stadium on September 5, 2026. Following the match, Anorthosis officials expressed strong dissatisfaction with the refereeing of Marios Christoforou and the VAR intervention, specifically pointing to three incidents: the non-calling of a foul on Andreas Chrysostomou before Apollon's second goal, the cancellation of a goal by Alessio Da Cruz, and a late penalty awarded to Apollon. The club has announced it will submit evidence to the Cyprus Football Association (KOP) demanding explanations. Apollon issued an official response, maintaining that the referee and VAR decisions were correct and objective.

Separately, in the second round of the Cyprus League by Stoiximan, APOEL secured a commanding 6-0 victory against AEL at the GSP Stadium on September 6. APOEL's goals came from Marquinho, Pedroso (twice), Stafylidis, Maioli, and Peres. AEL was reduced to ten men after Cafu was sent off via VAR for spitting. APOEL is scheduled to face Anorthosis on September 12 at the Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium, while AEL will host Nea Salamina on September 11.