TORONTO – Die-hard soccer fans have been known to cause a ruckus in stadiums around the world, but Euro 2012 has seen the mood among rivals become more violent than usual.
Just hours before the two teams were to meet in an emotionally charged match, Russian football fans clashed with police and Poland supporters in separate incidents in Warsaw on Tuesday.
The two sides, made up of dozens of men, kicked and punched each other in the faces, while flares could be seen exploding in their midst. Poland and Russia fans were also seen fighting and throwing stones outside the stadium.
Associated Press journalists saw several people lying injured and bleeding on the ground, with one of them appearing to be seriously hurt.
So why are tensions flying high for these two countries in particular?
According to Jeff Sahadeo, director of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies at Ottawa’s Carleton University, the Russian-Polish rivalry is burned deep into the psyche of each nation, dating back as far as the 17th century.
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Sahadeo explains that since that time, both Russians and Poles blame each other for a loss of influence in the region at different times in their history.
“For the Poles especially, but even for the Russians, they really have these mutual invasions burned upon their brains from the time they are kids,” says Sahadeo.
What Sahadeo is referring to are events like the Russo-Polish War (1605-1618) when Poland gained significant Russian territory, the three partitions of Poland between Russia and Austria and Germany in the 18th century, when Russia “virtually disappeared off the map,” the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939 during World War II and the Katyn massacres in 1943 when a mass execution of Polish nationals were carried out by Russians.
“The historical rivalry has these political edges to it, because the Russians consider the Poles as a Westernized bullying nation. The Poles always blame the Russian for partitions in the 18th and 19th century for when Poland was wiped off the map.”
Sahadeo explains that what adds even more complexity to the situation is Poland’s inclusion into the European Union, which made many worry about the erosion of their national identity. According to European media, Polish papers were drawing similarities between the soccer match and the victory in Warsaw in 1920 when Poland crushed the Soviet Red Army. The Soviet invasion of Poland in World War II and the Katyn massacres in 1943.
On the Russian side, nationalism is increasing thanks to Putin’s return to power. Putin’s support for nationalism comes from his previous terms as president, where he relied heavily on nationalist sentiment.
According to Sahadeo, Putin is playing the Russian nationalism card more and more now, saying Putin is very proud of the national soccer team and has been taking public opportunities to show this in public by setting up large screens in Moscow squares for Russians to watch these soccer games.
With files from the Canadian Press
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