British man arrested over 2023 football violence after AZ Alkmaar - Legia Warsaw match

A 40-year-old man from the United Kingdom was arrested on Friday, January 3, for his role in violent incidents against the police during AZ Alkmaar’s match against Legia Warsaw in the UEFA Conference League on October 5, 2023. He is the fifth person arrested in connection with the violence, including Legia defender Radovan Pankov from Serbia, who was convicted in the case.

Many of the perpetrators have been identified, with police reporting that most of the suspects came from abroad. Police have not ruled out additional arrests.

Legia Warsaw players Jose Pesquiera and Pankov were arrested after the match. Pesquiera was later acquitted. The third arrest came six months later when police said a 26-year-old man from Vlaardingen, who is of Polish descent, was arrested on July 2. Another Polish man of 42 years of age was arrested on October 22.

The Polish fans clashed with police before the match. The fans were meant to travel to ADO Den Haag’s stadium in The Hague to pick up the tickets, but they did not do so, instead trying to force their way into AZ’s stadium, the AFAS stadium. This led to clashes in which a riot police officer was knocked unconscious.