Two Legia Warsaw football players were arrested following their Europa Conference League match against AZ, sparking outrage in Poland.
The detained individuals, a 28-year-old Serbian and a 33-year-old Portuguese, believed to be Radovan Pankov and Josue, were taken into custody post-match in the Netherlands, after a 1-0 defeat.
Tensions escalated after the match when the Legia bus encountered departure issues, and further conflict ensued.
TVP revealed that Legia president Dariusz Mioduski and several staff members encountered physical altercations with the police.
In an earlier incident, Legia Warsaw supporters had aggressively clashed with local police, resulting in an officer being knocked unconscious.
Dutch prosecutors are handling the unfolding legal matter, with arrests being attributed to “harassment.” Further details from the Dutch police are anticipated.
“I have ordered the foreign ministry to take urgent diplomatic action to verify the events of the night,” Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
“Polish players and fans must be treated in accordance with the law. There is no consent to breaking it.”
The Legia spokesperson Bartosz Zaslawski was quoted by RMF as saying the team would return to Poland without Josue and Pankov. “As far as we know, they are at the police station,” RMF quoted Zaslawski as saying.
“Our representatives are with them, including the club’s lawyer. We are waiting for the police to move.”
