By Howard Borrell

Many of you will have been on peaceful, idyllic holidays to the island of Cyprus but probably didn't take much notice of their local football structure.

I visit often and have become familiar with the teams and many of the issues beneath the surface. Unlike in Britain where allegiance has historically been based around geography in Cyprus politics also plays its part with several clubs having links to both extremes of the political spectrum.

I took in a recent UEFA Cup game between the League runners-up, the hugely popular Nicosia based Omonoia and Litex Lovech of Bulgaria and a neutral couldn't fail to be impressed by the noise and non-stop support that the fans of Cyprus' most successful club side made throughout the game that ended 0-0. Omonoia, the Manchester United of the Cypriot league, historically are linked to left wing roots whereas the 2005/6 League Champions Apoel are linked to a much more right wing ethos.

Yes, you've guessed it the two sides were paired together five days later for their opening League fixture that ended 2-1 to Apoel. Trouble flared before and the after the game as the Apoel team coach was stoned and 100 fans fought with Police as they attempted to barge into the Apoel area of the ground. Apoel supporters are no angels and several were arrested on the motorway after they were seen throwing stones at rival fans from their unlicensed truck.

Two days after the UEFA Cup game Apoel played host to Turkish side Trabzonspor in the Champions League and the atmosphere couldn't have been more different to the previous European tie. It was just the second time a Cypriot team had played a Turkish club and the game was littered with political baggage. In 1974 Turkey invaded the island and, to this day, Cyprus remains divided with the North still under occupation, hence the inevitable tension. The stadium was surrounded with barbed wire and resembled a war zone but thankfully a heavy police presence ensured the game that ended 1-1 took place without further incident.

Unlike last season when a policeman was killed after clashes between fans of  AEL of Limassol (historically very left-wing supporters)  and Apoel. APOEL is known to be a bastion of Disy supporters, the right-wing party now in opposition. An unofficial website proclaims the team is "100 per cent anti-communist". "Football is the means by which Cypriot political fanaticism is bred," Greek Cypriot daily Politis said in a frontpage editorial. Many fans claim that the violence was a result of simmering resentment between the cities of Limassol and the capital Nicosia, with football merely an opportunity to express such rivalry.

The Cypriot FA recently  commented "We have been plagued with unruly behaviour for the last 25 years, it looks like we will have to endure yet another season of football violence. Not the sort of thing you'd expect from a paradise holiday island is it ?