By Jaroslaw Adamowski
March 25 – Following a March 2 match which was abandoned halfway after opposition fans starting fighting in the stadium, Legia Warsaw is reviewing its safety measures and has hired a UK-based security company to perform an audit at the Pepsi Arena.
The audit will be launched this week by Select Management and Security Ltd. The Belfast-based firm is a member of the European Stadium and Safety Management Association. The value of the contract was not disclosed by the Polish club.
The match against Jagiellonia Bialystok was interrupted after 45 minutes by the Warsaw Bureau for Security and Crisis Management. The disciplinary committee of the Esktraklasa, the top tier of Poland’s football league, decided to hand a walkover to Legia’s rival.
Dariusz Derewicz, Legia’s security director, was fired by the club. Shortly after the incident, Legia issued 20 two-year match bans for a period of two years to the hooligans identified in the incident.
The visitors’ block at the Pepsi Arena was temporarily closed following the match against Jagiellonia, but it will be re-opened for the March 29 match against Lech Poznan, a club statement said.
“The club has completed the internal … control of the safety system at our stadium,” said Bogdan Kuzio, director of the management board’s office at Legia.
Contact the writer of this story at jaroslaw.adamowski@insideworldfootball