Disorder in Zabrze before Gornik's Europa League qualifier

There was crowd trouble in central Zabrze on Wednesday evening ahead of Gornik Zabrze's Europa League qualifying tie against Ferencvaros, with local police responding to clashes involving supporters of the two clubs.

Clashes reported in the city centre

According to local reports cited by Sport.pl, the incident took place before the third qualifying round meeting between Gornik and Ferencvaros. The confrontation was said to involve a group of around 50 partially masked people, some of them dressed in red, blue and white colours, and a smaller group of visitors from Hungary who were inside a restaurant on Wolności Street.

Sebastian Bijok, press officer for the Municipal Police Headquarters in Zabrze, said officers received a report at 21:27 and patrols were sent to the scene immediately. The clash was reported to have taken place in a pizzeria, where the two groups came into contact.

Damage to premises and police response

The disturbance also caused damage to the venue. The pizzeria was reportedly hit with stones during the disorder, underlining the seriousness of the incident in the city centre.

Local reporting indicated that police in Zabrze required support from Katowice as they worked to bring the situation under control. The authorities have not yet confirmed how many people, if any, were detained.

Bijok said officers checked the identities of people suspected of involvement and that efforts to establish those responsible are ongoing. He also said that, at this stage, none of the people questioned had filed a criminal complaint.

One injury reported before key European tie

The most serious reported injury was suffered by one of the Hungarian men, who broke his shin while jumping over a fence during the unrest.

The incident came on the eve of an important night for Gornik Zabrze. The Polish side lost the first leg away from home by a single goal, leaving the tie still alive ahead of the return match. Progress remains significant for Gornik's European hopes, with the club needing to come through this round to keep alive the prospect of reaching at least the league phase of the Conference League.

Focus turns back to the match

Amid the tension surrounding the fixture, the hope in Zabrze will be that the attention now returns to football. Gornik Zabrze are due to face Ferencvaros on Thursday 13 August at 19:00 in the Europa League qualifiers.

• Competition: Europa League qualifying, third round
• Fixture: Gornik Zabrze vs Ferencvaros
• Location of incident: central Zabrze, including a pizzeria on Wolności Street
• Police investigation: ongoing