Chaos ensued after Legia Warsaw’s 1-0 defeat at AZ Alkmaar in the Europa Conference League on Thursday night, as two of the Polish club’s players were arrested by Dutch police.
Josue and Radovan Pankov were handcuffed before being taken to a police station in the Alkmaar area on suspicion of assault in relation to Thursday’s match. The duo were understood to still be there as of Friday morning, when Legia flew home.
Legia president and vice chairman of the European Club Association, Dariusz Mioduski, 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.
claim that trouble broke out following both team’s post-match press conferences, as Legia’s players made their way onto the bus. It remains unknown why the police detained Josue and Pankov
Jaroslaw Jankowski, a member of Legia’s management board, shared the video of Mioduski on social media and posted: “Scandalous behaviour of the police and security towards the players and the president of Legia, an unprecedented degree of aggression and rudeness.
An absolute scandal. The bodily integrity of several players and staff members was also violated by both security and the police. An unprecedented situation.”
Villa play Alkmaar at the AFAS Stadion in three weeks’ time as all four clubs in Group E are locked on three points. Unai Emery’s side beat Zrinjski Mostar 1-0 at home thanks to a 94th minute winning goal from John McGinn at Villa Park on Thursday.