A group of Russian hooligans beat up several football stewards in a short but violent brawl that took place at half time of the Russia-Czech Republic match in Wroclaw on June 8.
The fight broke out after stewards had come to the Russian stands at half time to find out who had thrown a flare on the football field, causing referee Howard Webb to interrupt the game. Events quickly escalated into a violent fight in which several of the stadium’s personnel were beaten.
The game ended with a scalding loss for the Czech side, which Russia defeated 4-1. At half time the result was 2-0 for Russia.
A video of the event – which shows a brief but intense fight with one steward being repeatedly kicked while laying on the ground – went viral.
Local police spokesperson Pawel Petrykowski said it was the only incident of the evening in Wroclaw. The police have already managed to identify 12 participants of the fight.
"We are trying to ensure that these people are arrested as quickly as possible and held accountable for their actions. If necessary, we will use international channels," said Mariusz Sokolowski, a spokesperson for national police headquarters.
Sokolowski added that the hooligans’ photos had been distributed among the border guards and Russian liaison officers, who expect to arrest them when trying to leave Poland. This may prove difficult as several chartered planes left the airport in Wroclaw before any measures were taken.
Four stewards were hospitalized following the encounter, but returned home during the night.
A statement issued by UEFA the following day described the brawl as "a brief and isolated incident involving a small group of around 30 fans who attacked a handful of stewards. The situation was quickly and efficiently brought under control. The local police are aware of the incident and investigating."
The organization opened disciplinary proceedings against the Russian football union for the improper conduct of its supporters.
Meanwhile, organizers point to the generally positive experience within the fan zones.
"The most important is that we have good statistics and reports from various agencies. If in a fan zone counting several tens of thousands of fans we only had a dozen or so medical interventions, than those are the ideal parameters for any organizer," said Marcin Herra, head of the coordinating company PL.2012.
Polish sports minister Joanna Mucha put the numbers into context: "On Friday 16 cases of disorderly conduct and 314 medical interventions connected to Euro 2012 were registered. Close to 300,000 fans were celebrating in the fan zones, while stadiums were filled by a further 90,000."
Herra also said he expected the assistance and security services to be strengthened for the Poland-Russia match on Tuesday June 12, deemed by experts to be of heightened risk.
But Ewa Prokopiak, a spokesperson for UEFA which is responsible for security at the stadiums, said no additional measures were expected. "Security is already quite big and we don’t plan to increase it for the moment," she said.
In related news, Friday night also saw a scuffle between Ukrainian and Russian fans in Lviv. According to police spokesperson Svitlana Dobrovolska, insults and punches were traded by six Russia supporters waving the imperial Russian flag and four Ukrainians dressed in national colors.Police intervened rapidly, impeding any escalation.
