Dutch police release Legia Warsaw footballers accused of assault; Players remain suspects

Two Legia football players who were arrested after the Conference League match against AZ in Alkmaar on Thursday evening were released from custody late Friday afternoon. Portuguese midfielder Josué Pesqueira and Serbian defender Radovan Pankov were detained on allegations that they assaulted AZ staff inside the stadium after the match. While the team vehemently denied any wrongdoing, Local police, prosecutors, the city of Alkmaar and AZ issued a joint statement condemning the players and Legia Warsaw supporters.

"The Polish media paints a picture that the players were victims of the riot police's actions, but this is by no means the case. It was the players who used violence," the Alkmaar authorities stated. "An arrest is a serious measure; this is not done by police without reason. Certainly not with players following an international match."

Both Pesqueira and Pankov remain suspected of a crime despite their release, police said. The Polish club said on Friday that the two would return to Poland later in the evening. There were two scheduled commercial flights departing from Schiphol to the Polish capital of Warsaw on Friday night.

On Friday, Legia Warsaw held a press conference to present their own story of the events. "The players didn't attack anyone. The aggression came from the Dutch side," stated the club president, Dariusz Mioduski. "I've witnessed many situations in my life, but I never expected a team to be attacked by security services and the police," he remarked.

The Polish club also criticized what they perceived as an anti-Polish attitude of Dutch authorities and media. Video footage shared online appeared to show riot police officers clashing with Legia Warsaw representatives at their bus.

Before the match, it was also restless in the stadium. Supporters of Legia Warsaw stormed the entrance gate of the stadium. The riot police on site could not stop the Polish supporters. A riot police officer was left unconscious after the supporters cornered him.

The joint statement from Alkmaar authorities and AZ stated that they had coordinated with Warsaw police and Legia about how to deal with Legia supporters arriving in Alkmaar. Although an arrangement was made for supporters to exchange a Polish voucher at the ADO Den Haag stadium, many did not adhere to this, and many supporters arrived at the Alkmaar stadium on their own.

The statement also criticized the level of violence from Legia Warsaw supporters before the game. “Supporters who use excessive and unacceptable violence against police and stewards are not welcome in our city. We are investigating with the parties involved whether and how we can ban visitors with such a risk profile from European competitions,” said Alkmaar Mayor Anja Schouten.

The statement also claimed that two Legia Warsaw players injured AZ staff in the stadium's main building after the game. The Legia players' bus could not depart from the parking lot, because Legia supporters were leaving the stadium. "That's why the players were kept in the stadium, also for their own safety. A number of players and officials apparently disagreed with this decision and resorted to violence," the statement continued.

A spokesperson for the club explained that after the match, the team tried to return to their bus quickly, however, security prevented them from accessing their bus and divided the team into two groups. Despite requests, they were not allowed to leave. “The physical integrity of our players, staff and management board members was violated. The violence escalated. We are unable to understand this,” he said.

''The decision by the Public Prosecution Service to arrest the players was not taken lightly and was discussed in advance with the police. These are suspects of serious criminal offenses, which the Public Prosecution Service will carefully assess - as in every case,” said Chief Public Prosecutor Digna van Boetzelaer.

The president of the club also commented on what he perceived as "an anti-Polish attitude" from Alkmaar authorities. "I arrived in Alkmaar in the afternoon. I kept hearing reports of the ongoing harassment of Poles. The mayor didn't want Poles in the city, and people were asked to leave restaurants. This situation is a complete scandal," he said.

The club president went on to criticize the reporting of events in the Dutch media. "The Dutch are aware that they have overreacted, which is why they now focus on our aggression. There was no attack. There might have been arguments and emotions, but that's all of it. I don't believe what the Dutch media reports," he declared. "We won't let this go. We will do everything to straighten everything out and change the narrative of the Dutch media."