06 October 2023 , 08:50
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Two Legia Warsaw players have been arrested by Dutch police as chaos ensued following their side's 1-0 defeat to AZ Alkmaar in the Europa Conference League.
Legia president Dariusz Mioduski, vice chairman of the European Club Association ( ECA ), also appeared to be assaulted by local authorities while trying to access the team bus post-match. Footage showed police, armed with riot shields and batons, hitting Mioduski in the face which left him injured, though it is unclear what prompted their actions.
Two players, Josue and Radovan Pankov, were seen handcuffed before being taken to a police station in the Alkmaar area. The duo were understood to still be there as of Friday morning, when Legia flew home, and police have only confirmed that two individuals were detained on suspicion of assault in relation to Thursday's match.
"Scandalous behavior of the police and security towards the players and the president of Legia, an unprecedented degree of aggression and rudeness," Jaroslaw Jankowski - a member of Legia's management board - wrote on social media, having shared the video of Mioduski.
"An absolute scandal," Jankowski added before leaving the country without Spanish playmaker Josue, 33, and 28-year-old Serbian midfielder Pankov. "The bodily integrity of several players and staff members was also violated by both security and the police. An unprecedented situation."
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Reports from Poland say that the scuffle broke out following both team's post-match press conferences, as Legia's players made their way onto the bus and were met by police enforcement. Some players were unable to reach their team-mates, such as Poland internationals Pawel Wszolek and Bartosz Slisz.
Mioduski too was unable to get on the bus and a melee began. It remains unknown why the police detained Josue and Pankov, and the club attempted to contact the Polish consul in the Netherlands but to no avail.
Shortly after 5am on Friday, Legia's marketing and communication manager, Aleksandra Kalinowska, posted on Twitter : "All the materials you saw after the match are unfortunately true.
"Yes, we were detained in the business zone, and some of the players, staff and journalists were not able to leave the stadium and board the bus. We won't sleep tonight. It's impossible to describe all this, what happened all day."
It's being reported in the Netherlands that Legia supporters stormed the entrance gate of AZ's Stadium before their side fell to a 1-0 defeat on Thursday, leaving all four sides in Group E - including Premier League club Aston Villa - locked on three points.
A riot officer is alleged to have been left unconscious. Police are claimed to have used tear gas against supporters, some of whom managed to get through the entrance gate.
Legia Warsaw midfielder Josue was taken away by Dutch police following the match and remains in the Netherlands (Marcel van Dorst/NurPhoto via Getty Images)A police spokesperson explained it'd been arranged that Legia supporters would pick up tickets at the nearby ADO stadium in The Hague. From there, they would be taken by bus to Alkmaar.
"As part of the preparations for the match, arrangements were made between police departments from the Netherlands and Warsaw, as well as Legia, on how the fans of the Polish club were to get to the match." a statement read.
"The city was celebrating the 450th anniversary of the relief of Alkmaar, so the city did not could welcome fans. During the day, it became clear that Legia Warszawa did not fulfil the arrangements."
On Sunday, Legia are due to welcome title rivals Rakow Czestochowa in the Polish Ekstraklasa.
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