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Polish police demand stadium ban on football away team fans
Police in Poland appealed Wednesday to the country's football federation to ban away fans from stadiums in all top division matches this season, in a bid to curb hooliganism.
Police in Poland appealed Wednesday to the country's football federation to ban away fans from stadiums in all top division matches this season, in a bid to curb hooliganism.
"We have asked the organisers of the Polish Championship and the PZPN (Polish Football Federation) to examine the possibility of holding the remaining matches in the 2013/2014 season without the presence of away team supporters," police spokesman Mariusz Sokolowski said.
In a letter to the head of the PZPN, chief of police Marek Dzialoszynski said the law had been broken 73 times during 136 top division matches played this season.
In about 60 cases police said supporters in the stands had thrown firecrackers and smoke grenades, and in other instances, fans trashed public transport trains and buses as they made their way to the stadiums.
Polish police said the cost of intervening in these cases during the first six months of the year was estimated at 800,000 euros ($1 million), a significant increase on previous years.
