The Polish foreign ministry and the Israeli embassy in Warsaw have condemned Maccabi Haifa supporters who displayed a banner reading “Murderers since 1939” during a Europa Conference League qualifier against Raków Częstochowa.
The second leg, played in Debrecen, Hungary, saw Raków lose on the night but progress on aggregate. However, Polish media coverage centred on images of the banner rather than the match itself.
The Holocaust remains a deeply sensitive subject in Poland, which was invaded by Nazi Germany in 1939. Around six million Poles including three million Jews were killed during the Second World War.
Poland’s foreign ministry said it “firmly condemns the behaviour of certain supporters,” while newly elected conservative president Karol Nawrocki called the display “scandalous” and “a stupidity that no words can explain.” Writing on X, Nawrocki stressed that it “offends the memory of Polish citizens who were victims of the Second World War, among whom were three million Jews.”
UEFA confirmed on 15 August that disciplinary proceedings had been opened against both clubs for “transmitting a message not fit for a sports event.”
The Israeli embassy in Warsaw posted its own statement after the match, saying: “Such words and actions, from any side, have no place at the stadium or elsewhere. Never! These shameful incidents do not reflect the spirit of the majority of Israeli supporters.”
The Polish foreign ministry added that one of its officials met with the Israeli ambassador on 15 August, expressing “utmost indignation at the outrageous content of the banner” and stating that “Polish–Israeli relations cannot and will not be destroyed by extremists.”