Dutch police arrested two Legia Warsaw players following the club’s match with AZ Alkmaar Thursday night. The Polish side traveled to the Netherlands to play a Europa Conference League Group E fixture. AZ went on to narrowly win the game 1-0, but Legia is more concerned about the incident afterward.
Local police announced that they arrested a 28-year-old man from Serbia and a 33-year-old man from Portugal after the match. Media reports out of Poland claim that the duo is Radovan Pankov and Josue. Both Legia players started and played the full 90 minutes in the game.
The Guardian reports police removed both Pankov and Josue from the team and took them to a station. TVP, a Polish news outlet, obtained footage of Josue in handcuffs. Also, the network added police struck Legia’s team president Dariusz Mioduski in the face during the incident.
Visiting fans attacked police before match
Legia fans clashed with local Dutch police before the game. Area officials claimed that one officer was knocked unconscious during the brawl. After the match, the Polish team’s bus had trouble leaving the arena. Polish private broadcaster RMF FM asserts that Dutch police said that the ensuing arrests were due to “harassment.”
Poland Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki took to social media to condemn the event. “I have ordered the foreign ministry to take urgent diplomatic action to verify the events of the night,” Morawiecki posted on X. “Polish players and fans must be treated in accordance with the law. There is no consent to breaking it.”
Legia to leave the Netherlands without arrested players
Legia spokesperson Bartosz Zaslawski told RMF that the club would be returning to Poland without the two arrested players. “As far as we know, they are at the police station,” stated Zaslawski. “Our representatives are with them, including the club’s lawyer. We are waiting for the police to move.”
The Polish club will next host Raków Częstochowa in the Ekstraklasa on Sunday, October 8th. AZ, on the other hand, is set to face Ajax on the same day.
PHOTO: IMAGO / Pro Shots
