2023-10-07 11:53:27
The arrest Thursday evening of two players from the Polish club Legia Warsaw following a Europa Conference League match in Alkmaar, the Netherlands, caused tensions between the two countries, with the Polish government demanding explanations on Friday .
Polish football fans are outraged and the Polish PM is asking for “urgent diplomatic action” after Legia players were handcuffed, and the club’s president Dariusz Mioduski was pushed by Dutch police following the game against AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands.pic.twitter.com/pYyXMVPJgP
— Visegrad 24 (@visegrad24) October 6, 2023
Portuguese midfielder Josué Pesqueira (33) and Serbian defender Radovan Pankov (28) were arrested in the Legia bus after their team’s defeat at AZ (1-0). The two players, released on Friday but under investigation, are suspected of assaulting two AZ Alkmaar staff members “to such an extent that they required medical attention”, police said Dutch in a press release.
A story traced back to the Polish Prime Minister
In Warsaw, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki (far right), in the middle of the electoral campaign, considered the information coming from Alkmaar “very worrying”. “Polish players and fans must be treated in accordance with the law. There is no agreement to violate it,” he said on his X account (formerly Twitter). Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski, for his part, clarified on Friday on X that his services were seeking to establish whether “the Dutch police and employees of the AZ Alkmaar club broke the law against Polish citizens ( …) because of their nationality.”
Very disturbing reports from Alkmaar. I recommended it @MSZ_RP urgent diplomatic efforts to verify the events of the night.
Polish players and fans must be treated in accordance with the law. There is no consent to breaking it.— Mateusz Morawiecki (@MorawieckiM) October 6, 2023
According to Polish journalists present at the match, the incidents began when Dutch police and security services decided to detain the Legia players’ bus inside the stadium after the match, citing fear for their safety. The tone rose, with verbal altercations and shoving, the Dutch police eventually intervening inside the vehicle.
According to Polish media, the owner and president of Legia, Dariusz Mioduski, was pushed by the police, who pushed him to the ground and broke his phone, with which he was filming the events. “What happened is a real scandal,” Mioduski responded. “This is a global precedent. The team was shocked by what happened, as no one had ever had such an experience. »
Violence provoked by Polish supporters before the match
According to the Dutch police, violence attributed to Polish supporters broke out even before the start of the match. A police officer lost consciousness and security forces used tear gas. The Dutch authorities had asked Polish fans not to travel, as other events planned for the same evening in the city mobilized the police and prevented them from ensuring the security of the match. “On the day of the match, it emerged that Legia Warsaw had not respected this agreement,” lamented the police.
The Polish Football Federation (PZPN) said it had requested explanations from the Dutch Federation and UEFA. The Dutch ambassador to Poland has been summoned and will be received at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday.
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