WARSAW, 15 (dpa/EP)
Polish President Karol Nawrocki has expressed his regret over a banner unfurled by Israeli fans during a Conference League match on Thursday, reading "Murderers since 1939."
The banner was unfurled by Maccabi Haifa fans during the second leg of their qualifying match against Polish side Raków Czestochowa. Due to the conflict in the Middle East, the match was played in Hungary and Raków won 2-0, advancing to the next qualifying round.
Nawrocki expressed his outrage on social media. "The outrageous banner displayed by Maccabi Haifa fans insults the memory of Polish citizens who died in World War II, including three million Jews. It is a stupid act that cannot be justified in any way," he wrote on X.
Several ministers and the government spokesperson also expressed their outrage and demanded a clear response from European football's governing body, UEFA, which has been asked for a statement.
The president of the Polish Football Association, Cezary Kulesza, found it particularly scandalous that the banner blamed Poland for the crimes of Nazi Germany. The German invasion of Poland in 1939 marked the beginning of World War II. Six years of occupation followed, and more than five million people died in Poland, three million of them Polish Jews.
The Israeli embassy in Warsaw also condemned the "abhorrent behavior of some fans" and stressed that there is no place for such words and actions, either in the stadium or anywhere else.
Polish and Israeli media said the action was a response to a banner unfurled by Rakow fans during the first leg, which read "Israel kills and the world is silent." The Polish fans were criticizing the Israeli military's actions in Gaza.
