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Russian fans viciously attack stewards after Czech Republic match

Dirty Tackle

The two primary fears for Euro 2012 were racism and violence and while a group of Polish fans initiated the racial abuse the day before the tournament started, some Russian fans kicked off the violence on Friday.

Following Russia's 4-1 win over the Czech Republic, Russian fans attacked several stewards at the Wroclaw Municipal Stadium. According to witnesses, the attack was prompted when stewards investigated who threw firecrackers onto the pitch. Four stewards ended up in the hospital with minor injuries.

From the AP:

The stewards weren't badly injured, police spokesman Pawel Petrykowski said. The beatings lasted for a ''few dynamic minutes,'' but all in all it was a ''small incident,'' he said. No arrests were made, but police were examining security camera footage.

UEFA released a statement Saturday calling it ''a brief and isolated incident involving a small group of around 30 fans who attacked a handful of stewards. The situation was quickly and efficiently brought under control. The local police are aware of the incident and investigating.''

A "few dynamic minutes"? OK, Michael Bay.

In a separate incident, a small group of Russian fans scrapped with Ukraine supporters at a fan zone in Lviv, but police were able to break that up without being hospitalized like the stewards.

Video via 101gg