FOUR STEWARDS WERE attacked by Russian football supporters after the country’s 4-1 win against the Czech Republic, police in Wroclaw, western Poland, said on Saturday.
An amateur video (below) appears to show a group of supporters punching and kicking the volunteers, who were wearing the distinctive green tabards and positioned in the stadium for the tie on Friday.
“Four people were hospitalised for a short time following this incident,” Wroclaw police spokesman Pawel Petrykowski confirmed. “We are trying to identify their attackers.”
Just before the same match, police arrested four Russian supporters who had allegedly started a bar brawl in Wroclaw old town. Petrykowski said the four were drunk and had been questioned about the incident.
Warsaw mayor’s office last week gave the go-ahead for Russian fans to march in the capital on their national day on Tuesday, which also happens to be the day when their team plays Poland in the capital.
The decision came amid speculation that clashes might erupt between the countries’ fans during the 16-nation, quadrennial football showcase, which is being co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine in June.
YouTube credit: Europeancup2012
Poland and Russia have long had a fraught relationship, mired in centuries of conflict, and President Vladimir Putin’s present-day Russia elicits aversion from many Poles.
This tension, along with a reputation for violent fans in both nations, has fuelled speculation of possible unrest on the sidelines of the tournament.
I’ll try it without the profanity this time.
Tough guys… 10 or 12 of them on the first guy. Second guy thumped when his back was turned.
Utterly pointless and moronic.
I’ve a feeling that something worse is going to happen. I hope i smaras wrong. But I’ve a feeling they are going to regret holding the tournament there.
I was just thinking the same.
Theres more to come apparently, russia play poland on monday or tuesday on russias national holiday, the russian fans are planning a march from the city to the stadium and the poles arent a bit happy. Ukranian & Russian fans clashed last night too in the city & also the Czech defender Selassie was supposedly racially abused during the game. FARE the organisation for monitoring racism in football also said the russians displayed the ‘russian empire’ far right flags. Arent Russia lined up to host a world cup in the future too? :/
Tuesday is going to be a bloodbath
Suggest you to watch few documentaries about English football fans.
It’s a Shay Given that something worse will happen!
OHH YEAH
Looking after 10000 crazy Russians be grand they said
Irish fans have been the victims of the russian football agression in 2002
shouldnt be allowed in the tournament
wouldnt mind if our Polish frineds gave em a good taste of there our medicine
Maybe the steward was rude and throwing his weight around.Dont judge because we dont know what happened.
True, We don’t know what happened to spark it but violence, especially 10 against one is not acceptable.
I’m surprised the police did not react quickly.
Now where’s the fun in that?
only a fool could think that makes it okay.
Thank goodness the world isn’t made up of Richard Lennons…
Just because somebody is rude doesn’t mean they deserve this treatment. Stewards are there for a reason.
A lot of stewards are bullies and failed policemen. Now some stewards are decent people but I seen some bad ones.
So the steward through his weight around did ya see any body lying on the floor or other stewards coming in and kicking the supporters while they were in the ground same old same old Irish attitude ur probably a young fella thinks he shouldn’t be told what to do by any authoritive figure
Another disappearing comment? Fix it, Journal.
Gavin, why would you come out with that “same old Irish” nonsense? His comment has go 254 thumbs down and 6 thumbs up. I think it’s obvious that his comment doesn’t hold much sway with the Irish.
At every tournament and every away match the Irish have shown time and again that they have no time whatsoever for this behaviour. We’re above it. So why do self-loathers like you have to pretend otherwise? I hope you’ll have enough conviction not to support Ireland over the next two weeks, since you have such a low opinion of us
You are joking right? An here i go thinking that My fellow Polish fans are bad. Good that Irish fans are not made up from such a morons like you.
Niall dont be racist I think its against the law.
Polish press reports that Uefa and police have identified Russians involved in fight and their pictures are already with airport police. Tuesday will be hot as Russians play against Poland and they want to organize march through the city to celebrate their national day, while this will probably infuriate some Polish national front groups. This supposed to be peaceful march and polish authorities allowed them to celebrate as well most Poles wouldn’t mind…but some unfortunately would (all that history again…) and also this fight Russians kicked off in Wroclaw surely is going add to the turmoil. Add then big football game on top of that all… well it could be messy day, hopefully not and hopefully plenty of riot police will be on hand.
Good bless the truly ignorant. Try reading a book or informing yourself before making hateful comments, but I’m not surprised with you, given your track record
Notice the steward (in green) involved in the whole thing kicking off scarpers and leaves his two buddies, one if which (in red) came in to help him, to get lumps kicked out of them.
Pity Paul Barnes wasnt there hed sort them out after a good few burgers and chips.
both these sides of supporters are serious characters. expect the police to absolutely wade into them, cos if they dont…
What’s disturbing about this? Have you ever seen a Van Damme movie?
Good lad fiction verses reality easy way out blame everything else other than the person doing the act
Chuck I agree u have never heard of the Irish on tour doing this sort of shite what I was referring to was thstuff that goes on at home nothing against the travelling supporters they don’t have the tag of best behaved supporters in the world for nothing