During the match Lech Poznań – Widzew Łódź, fans of the hosts hung a banner on the stand with an offensive slogan, hitting the writer “Gazeta Wyborcza”, Piotr Żytnicki. It may be a consequence of revenge for his revealing the links of the supporters of the “Railway” to drug dealers.
On the stand, on which the most ardent fanatics of “Cottles” sit, a white canvas with a painted slogan: “Żytnicki pedophile” and the inscription “confirmed with informants” hangs. The writer “Gazeta Wyborcza” late described the links between Lech’s fans and drug users in the newspaper. Polish services on the border with Germany intercepted 230 kg of marijuana worth about PLN 6 million. According to sources the writer reached, the transport of illegal substances was intended for Lech's fans.
The banner displayed by Lech's ultras during Friday's match with Widzew was to be payback for this publication. As for the fact that this is the case, he is not himself interested, as he reported on social media. At the Extraclass game, there was a banner on which I was called a pedophile. It's the revenge of Lech Poznań for my publications. The organizer of the match, Lech Poznań, does not react," commented Żytnicki.
"Gazeta Wyborcza" writer is outraged by the club's deficiency of reaction to the situation and the fact that no of Lech's employees removed him from the stands. The press secretary, Maciej Henszel, denies it. According to him, the offensive banner disappeared after the safety manager intervened. According to the journalist, after a fewer minutes, it was taken off by fans themselves. Żytnicki besides claims that no 1 from the club contacted him to apologize for the incident.
The writer “Gazeta Wyborcza” submitted a announcement to the prosecutor's office in Poznań requesting the prosecution of perpetrators of public interest. The writer emphasizes that the crime was committed publicly, in front of 30,000 viewers. As he points out, his goal was to intimidate and discourage him from continuing to deal with kibboli.
Let us remind that last weekend the minister of national education, Barbara Nowacka, besides got in from fans. On the alleged “Gylet”, a stand occupied by the most fanatical sympathizers of the Legion of Warsaw, there was a banner with the slogan: “Nowacka, we wanted to compose that you are all right, but we have mispronounced and so it is written that you are anti-Polish. The Legionaries hit the head of the Ministry of Education for her “famous” speech: “In the area occupied by the Germans, Polish Nazis built camps that were labour camps and then became camps of mass extermination.”
In this situation, it is worth paying attention to statistic that talk about the increase in force in stadiums. According to police data, in 2022 more than 1000 cases of force were reported at stadiums in Poland. That's 20% more than last year. Extraclasses are besides not free from violence. In the 2022/2023 season, more than 50 cases of force were reported at Extraclass stadiums.
The government and authorities should take immediate action to combat force at stadiums. This is not only a question of security, but besides a image of Polish football. Fans should be aware that force is not acceptable and that the consequences will be severe. Journalists should besides be guaranteed protection and freedom of speech so that they can now and impartially study sporting events.
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Stadium scandal: Lech Poznań fans attack journalist
