At least 10 football fans have been injured following violent clashes before tonight's Euro 2012 match between Russia and Poland tonight in Warsaw. In TV footage fans can be seen running away from exploding fireworks or flares on the city streets in Poland. Several people were seen lying injured and bleeding on the ground, with one of them appearing to be seriously hurt. Police said 10 people were injured; seven Poles, two Russians and one German. Violence also broke out by the stadium with Poland and Russia fans fighting and hurling stones at each other. Russia fans also clashed with police on a bridge near the National Stadium and police were later seen making arrests. A police spokeswoman said 100 fans on both sides were involved in fights. She said 56 people have been arrested and police are studying CCTV footage as they try to identify others involved. Heavily armed riot police that have been present in large numbers during the afternoon used water cannons to try and disperse the troublemakers before the 7.45 kick-off. The two countries share a difficult history, including decades of control by Moscow over Poland during the Cold War. Many Poles had protested to the Polish authorities to not allow the Russians to march as a group in Warsaw, seeing it as an act of provocation. The march that involved 5,000 Russian fans was considered a huge security challenge and police were bracing for more trouble after the match. More than 180 people have been arrested over clashes involving Polish and Russian football fans, Warsaw police said Wednesday. Violence flared during a march through the city by Russian fans ahead of the Euro 2012 match between the two nations at Warsaw's National Stadium. Around 7,000 Russians took part in the march to celebrate their country's national holiday, the Polish ambassador to Russia, Wojciech Zajaczkowski, said Wednesday. The trouble was started by Polish hooligans, Zajaczjowski said. "During the march incidents took place that were provoked by Polish pseudo-fans," he said. "The police reacted decisively and professionally." Of the 184 arrested, 156 are Polish and 25 Russians, Warsaw police said in a website statement. One Spanish national, one Hungarian and one Algerian were also held in connection with the disturbances. Ten people were injured, including seven Poles, two Russians and a German. Of those, seven Poles and one Russian were kept in hospital overnight, regional governor Jacek Kozlowski said. A further 150 people were treated for minor injuries, he said. The Russians were marching to celebrate Russia Day, a national holiday which commemorates the end of the Soviet Union. Police fired warning shots during the march when Polish fans hurled bottles, stones and flares at them, and the police also deployed a water cannon. Incidents at the march led to 56 arrests, the police said, before trouble spread to nearby streets, where the rest of the arrests were made. At the match, Russian supporters unfurled a huge banner with the slogan "This is Russia" depicting Dmitry Pozharsky, a knight who defeated an invading Polish force in 1612. The scuffles follow trouble Friday when some Russian fans assaulted Polish stewards after Russia's 4-1 win over the Czech Republic in Wroclaw. There was widespread anger in the Polish media after that match because some Russians displayed Soviet flags, seen by many in Poland as a symbol of foreign occupation.

• published: 13 Jun 2012
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